


Complicated

by xXdreameaterXx



Category: British Actor RPF, Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Consensual Infidelity, F/M, RPF, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-07-13 00:55:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 54,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7131554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXdreameaterXx/pseuds/xXdreameaterXx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Relationships are only as complicated as you make them", he repeated softly and somehow it was enough for her to understand that they could do this and get away with it." The story of a reunion, a convention in America, an accidental nap in a shared bed, a jet lag and a bad decision. In case the RPF tag wasn't plain enough - this is RPF! Peter Capaldi/Jenna Coleman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Complicated

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Samstown4077](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samstown4077/gifts).



> This only took me like four months to write! I hope the person this is gifted to is very happy with it ;)

It had been almost a year since Jenna's last day on Doctor Who and if she was absolutely honest with herself, she was still kind of missing it. The work itself, the running and above everything else she still missed Peter. Even though they saw each other occasionally and talked on the phone a lot it just wasn't the same. That was why Jenna was so happy that this convention in America was bringing them together once more, even if it was just for a weekend. Peter, Steven and Mark had arrived a couple of hours before her and now that Jenna had landed safely as well all she wanted to do was say hello to all of them, Peter being the very first name on her list. She dropped her bags on the comfy looking bed and whipped out her phone, smiling to herself as she did. It rang a couple of times until he finally answered her call.  
“What room are you in?” she asked immediately, a broad smile stuck on her face.  
“Jenna!” Peter said into the phone and he sounded so happy, if a little tired, “Have you landed?”  
“Yep, just checked in. I wanted to say hello. What room are you in?” Jenna repeated her question. She could hardly wait to see him again and had already walked halfway back to the door.  
“Erm,” Peter hummed something that told her he was thinking about the answer, “329.”  
“That's right across the hall from mine. Can I come over and say hello?” she asked but when he didn't answer immediately she added: “Or is this a bad timing?”  
“No,” Peter replied and cleared his throat. He sounded a little off, “Not at all. I was just taking a nap before you called but I'm up now anyway.”  
All of a sudden Jenna felt a terribly guilty for calling him. She could've known he had been asleep, it was several hours earlier than it had been in England and the only reason she wasn't tired right now was because she had slept on the flight.  
“Jenna?”  
“Yes,” she smiled, her desire to finally see him again stronger than the guilt, “I'm coming over.”

When she stepped outside of her own room Peter had already opened the door to his and he was standing in the doorway, smiling at her. He really looked tired but also very, very happy to see her. Jenna grinned at him and crossed the hallway separating the two of them before she threw her arms around Peter in a tight and long hug.  
“It's so good to see you,” she mumbled against his chest while he pressed her closer with his strong arms. Was it her imagination or had he been working out?, “I've missed you terribly.”  
“I've missed you, too. Doctor Who isn't quite the same without you.”  
“But still fun, I hope?”  
They slowly started to loosen their grip on each other and Peter looked down at her, smiling. “Yes, still fun,” he reassured her, “The new one is absolutely lovely but she just isn't you. Wanna come inside? I want to hear what you've been up to.”  
Jenna nodded and stepped through the doorway into a hotel room that looked exactly like her own, just a little messier. Peter had been here for a few hours and he had obviously made himself at home already, spreading his clothes and belongings over every available piece of furniture. Jenna sank down on the bed and watched Peter open the minibar.  
“Okay, I can see vodka, a German herbal schnapps I can't pronounce and chocolate milk.”  
“I'll take the chocolate milk, bit early here for unpronounceable drinks,” Jenna replied with a giggle and a moment later she was handed the drink. Peter sat down right next to her, trying to suppress a yawn that still came through but Jenna had stopped feeling guilty – seeing him again was lovely and it was probably even a good thing she had woken him or otherwise he might not have been able to sleep at night.  
After shaking it properly they both put the straw into the carton and tried clinking them together but the sound it produced was anything but impressive.  
“We haven't talked in a few weeks. Is everything alright? Work? Home?” she asked him after taking a sip from the chocolate milk. It was a little too sugary for her taste.  
“Work is busy, home is good. You?”  
Jenna sighed. “Work also busy. But it's fun. Not as much fun as Doctor Who, obviously, but still good.”  
“And Richard?”  
Peter surely knew how to hit home right when she had managed to ban that thought from her mind. And he must have felt her reluctance judging by his raised eyebrows.  
Jenna blew the air out between her lips. “On and off. Currently on. He's working, I'm working. Some days I miss him like hell-”  
“And some days you don't?” Peter asked, finishing her sentence, “Don't worry. That's completely natural. You both have your busy lives.”  
“Yeah but-,” Jenna was about to protest and then turned to look at Peter who was smiling knowingly, “Really? Cause when I realize that I haven't thought about Richard at all in a few hours I feel so guilty cause I love him. Shouldn't he be on my mind constantly?”  
The last remark seemed to make Peter laugh. He leaned closer to her and placed a swift kiss on her temple.  
“Not at all, and you shouldn't feel guilty. I called Elaine when I landed here to let her know I arrived and haven't thought about her until you mentioned her. Nothing to feel guilty about. The fact that you love someone doesn't mean your entire world has to revolve around that person. Would you expect Richard to think about you 24/7?”  
The thought made Jenna smile. “Of course not.”  
She placed her chocolate milk on the floor in front of them and noticed that Peter was attempting to lie back down, grabbing one of the pillows and shoving it under his head.  
“Hey,” Jenna protested, “Don't go back to sleep. It'll only make the jet lag worse.”  
“I'm not going back to sleep. Just making myself comfortable and waiting for you to start telling me what's new.”  
With a sigh Jenna lay down next to Peter who now had his eyes closed again. She nudged him, making him jerk back awake.  
“Not sleeping,” he said instantly, rolled on his side and kept his eyes closed despite her warning, “Tell me about your work.”  
Jenna giggled. “I was locked in my trailer two weeks ago.”  
“Really? How did that happen?” he asked in a quiet voice, smiling at the mention of it.  
“The door handle came off and I couldn't fix it so I had to call someone to get me out.”  
“Mhhh,” he hummed sleepily in reply.  
“Peter!” Jenna said sternly, “You're falling asleep.”  
“I'm not,” he mumbled and suddenly he reached out to take her hand, “Don't you worry about Richard. Relationships are only as complicated as you make them.”  
Jenna had hardly been able to understand that last part and she knew that it was no use trying to keep him awake as he was drifting off, except maybe with violence.  
“Do you want me to leave?” she asked quietly.  
“Mh.”  
She had no idea if the humming sound was meant to mean yes or no but seeing that Peter was still holding her hand and his breathing had already become deep and slow Jenna had no choice but to stay if she didn't want to wake him again.

She jerked up when suddenly there was a knock on the door and next to her Peter did the same, letting go of her hand in the process.  
“Peter! Are you in there?” Jenna could hear Steven's voice on the other side of the door.  
He groaned a little. “Yes,” Peter replied eventually, “I'm here!”  
“It's 7! Dinner time!”  
Jenna could have sworn she heard Peter curse under his breath before he shouted. “I'll meet you downstairs in 10 minutes!”  
“Bring Jenna if you find her!”  
“Will do!” Peter called out and sank back into the pillows with a groan. Jenna understood all too well what was going on in his mind – she, too, felt as if they had slept for years and not two hours. That was going to be one hell of a jet lag.  
“I should probably change my clothes,” Jenna concluded, “They're all wrinkled. See you downstairs in 10?”  
When Peter didn't reply Jenna nudged him roughly. “Hey! Enough sleeping.”  
He sat up straight in an instant, throwing his eyes wide open and yet he still looked tired. “Right. Changing. See you downstairs.”  
Jenna raised her eyebrows at him. “Can I really trust you not to go back to sleep?”  
“Yes,” he hissed and finally rose from his bed. Peter stretched, his back cracking as he did so and it almost made her wince. When they had time for it she would suggest giving his shoulders a quick massage.  
“Okay, then,” she said and got up as well, “I'll see you downstairs.”

* * *

Dinner at the fancy hotel restaurant was wonderful and it was utterly lovely seeing Steven and Mark again. They ordered a bottle of red wine and then another, all the while talking about Doctor Who and the fun they had had on set, all the things that had gone wrong and of course that one time Peter had accidentally taken a shower at the power station. He still blushed at the mention of it, making Jenna only laugh more. At times like these she almost regretted her decision to leave the show even though she knew it had been for the best. But she still missed it terribly, working with Peter most of all.  
While Steven and Mark, who obviously hadn't napped after their arrival, were starting to grow tired Jenna only became increasingly jittery and she noticed that Peter must have been feeling the same because he wouldn't stop talking. The nap, the great food and the wine would make it very hard for both of them to fall asleep at a decent hour tonight.  
When Steven announced that he would retreat to his room Jenna made the sensible decision to try to sleep as well, forcing Peter to follow their example if he didn't want to stay downstairs on his own.  
“Did I tell you that we now have a set cat?” Peter asked, chuckling after they had said good night to Mark and Steven and were on their way to their own hotel rooms.  
Jenna looked up at him. “A set cat?”  
He drew his phone from out of his pocket and opened the gallery, showing her a couple of pictures from a black and brown spotted cat hanging out by the trailers.  
“Ohhhh, that's adorable,” Jenna said, “Have you named it?”  
Suddenly Peter slid his phone back into his pocket and awkwardly cleared his throat. “Yes,” was all that he replied.  
“What?” she giggled, “You didn't name it something geeky and embarrassing, right?”  
Peter stared straight ahead, seeming a little uncomfortable now. “I named it,” he said and finally looked at her, “I named her Clara.”  
For a moment Jenna was too baffled to say anything. Apparently she wasn't the only one dearly missing everyone but Peter missed her on set as well. At least enough to name a stray cat after her character.

She stopped in front of her hotel room door and leaned against the wall with a sigh. “We shouldn't have napped earlier. I'm not tired at all.”  
Peter smiled. “Yeah, that was probably not the best idea.”  
“Do you want to come inside and talk some more?”  
He hesitated but eventually nodded in agreement. “It's better than staring at the ceiling.”  
Jenna unlocked her door and led the way inside, throwing her blazer on the chair next to her bed while Peter sat down.  
“Your bed is more comfortable than mine,” he complained half-heartedly.  
“It can't be,” she argued, “It's the exact same bed.”  
When Peter stretched his shoulders she suddenly remembered her earlier thought and let herself fall onto the bed next to him.  
“Take off your jacket,” Jenna ordered him, making Peter turn around to look at her instantly. “I want to give you a massage. You look tense,” she added, indicating for him to turn back around with a wave of her hand.  
He was very reluctant to follow her order at first but as soon as his jacket had come off and she was kneading his shoulders Jenna could feel that reluctance fade. What she also felt was the rising desire to tell him to take his shirt off as well so the massage would have a better effect but she quickly brushed that thought aside. It wouldn't be about the massage but about her own curiosity. Over dinner Peter had told her that he had started going to the gym more often and judging by the way he looked in his shirt it was paying off.  
“You're really good at this,” Peter said in a husky voice, tearing her from her daydream, “I guess sitting on a plane for hours is bad for your shoulders.”  
“It really is,” Jenna agreed and leaned forward just a little when suddenly she caught a whiff of his cologne. He had changed it since the last time they had met for coffee and this one suited him a little too well.  
“Is that sniffing sound you trying to tell me to take a shower?” he suddenly chuckled, making her laugh as well.  
“No, silly,” she replied, “Trying to figure out your cologne. I like it.”  
Only now Jenna was beginning to realize that she had stopped massaging his shoulders a few moments ago and her touch had become more of a caress. Quickly she drew her hands away.

Instantly Peter turned around and smiled at her. “Okay, my turn,” he announced and Jenna raised her eyebrows at him, not really sure what he was talking about.  
“Come on, I'll give you a massage,” he insisted and finally Jenna turned around.  
She had always had a strange liking for his hands, she had always loved how elegant they looked no matter what he used them for – be it playing his guitar or simply signing a picture for a fan – but now that they were kneading her shoulders Jenna finally had a sound reason for it. He was strong and yet gentle as he brushed the straps of her dress and bra aside to gain better access to her skin.  
“You're tense,” Peter said thoughtfully.  
“Well, it's going to be a stressful weekend and I can already see myself getting very little sleep thanks to the nap,” she replied and a shiver ran across her skin when she felt his breath on her neck.  
“Sorry,” Peter mumbled quickly as he continued to work on her neck, “That part was probably my fault. But if it's any consolation I don't really see sleep happening for me either.”  
“Sleepless in Seattle.”  
Peter chuckled. “We're not in Seattle.”  
“I know,” Jenna replied, smiling.  
He was silent for a long moment, the touch of his hands becoming slower and slower and Jenna guessed that he was probably lost in the thought about something. He often did that, just tuning out and retreating to whatever was going on inside his mind. Right now it didn't even bother her in the least while she was trying very hard not to let his touch distract her too much. Peter was her friend and there were no words to express how much she loved him but somehow this was a little too close to comfort.  
His hands suddenly stopped altogether and while one remained firmly on her shoulder the other wandered up to the little hairs beneath her bun that wouldn't quite stick with the rest, twirling them around her fingers.  
“Peter.”  
“Jenna,” he replied, that little huff he gave palpable on her skin.  
She turned around to look at Peter, to tell him they should probably go to sleep, to tell him to leave but when she caught him staring dreamily into the void she couldn't help it and leaned forward to brush their lips together for just a brief second.  
Jenna wanted to slap herself the moment she realized what she had done. They had kissed before, countless times, on the hand, on the cheek, the temple, even the lips as greeting but never in a moment as intimate as this. Somehow it felt not like overstepping a boundary but taking a running jump right at it.  
“I'm sorry,” she mumbled quickly and again wanted to say something about leaving when Peter bent down and kissed her once more and she couldn't even find the will to stop him. Jenna knew she shouldn't want it, that Peter shouldn't want it, she was looking for an excuse, the food, the wine, the nap, anything she could blame it on that wasn't her own desire. Still she opened her mouth to him, still tasting the red wine on his tongue when it touched her own. Anything to blame.  
She only noticed that her hands had landed on his thighs and he had his buried in her hair, the bun long undone, when they broke the kiss to catch their breath.  
“Peter,” she started again, trying very hard to look him in the eyes but failing.  
“Relationships are only as complicated as you make them,” he repeated softly and somehow it was enough for her to understand that they could do this and get away with it. Richard would never know unless she told him. Elaine would never know unless Peter told her, maybe he even would and it still wouldn't even shake their marriage cause that was how bonded they were. They could do this and come tomorrow they would pretend that nothing had ever happened. But a chance like this would surely not come again.

Jenna acted before her mind had even made the decision and she locked their lips in another kiss. Peter, knowing that with this she had just said yes, pulled her closer and together they fell back onto the bed, arms wrapped around each other and lips still touching. His hand was ever so gentle as it was setting out to explore her body but it had a distinctiveness that told her Peter had probably thought about this before and not just acted on an impulse. Not that it made anything better, or worse, as he carefully felt under her skirt and up her leg, leaving her skin in goosebumps.  
In return Jenna brought her hand between them and managed to find a way under his shirt, feeling that toned chest that she had so far only imagined directly under her palm and it sent her heart racing. His skin was so warm, so soft to the touch and the overwhelming smell of his cologne mixed with his own, personal scent was was beginning to cloud her senses, tricking her into believing that this was absolutely the right choice. Meanwhile Peter was struggling with her skirt and Jenna decided to help him by breaking their kiss and sitting up. He followed her example and within moments her dress was gone, discarded on the floor like her better judgement. His shirt followed, then her bra, his trousers and socks and eventually their underwear, too. Jenna couldn't help but stare at him, his naked form that she had imagined often but always scolded herself for doing so and now he was sitting right in front of her and all she could think about was how much she wanted him at this moment.  
Not a single word came over their lips as he gently pushed her back down and started to cover her body in kisses, the early stages of his beard wonderfully rough on her skin and probably leaving it red and tender. Jenna sucked in her breath when he flicked his tongue around her nipple and she brought her hands to his head, guiding him. A moan escaped her when he sucked her nipple hard and she could feel the blood coursing through her body, gathering between her legs and making her sex throb with desire before he had even touched it. Peter kissed his way further down, trailing his tongue across her stomach, getting closer and closer to where her juices were already flowing and Jenna arched her back up to meet him when he finally cupped her sex with his mouth, sucking lightly and coaxing another moan from her throat. His tongue quickly found its way between her folds, flicking teasingly at first and making her squirm beneath. He was gentle like always, almost too gently, but that was Peter. Always considerate, always trying to give.  
Jenna buried her hands in his hair, guiding him the way she wanted and he followed her lead, delving his tongue into her wetness and making her tingle all over. He was so hot and wet and above all he seemed to know exactly what he was doing to her and if not her heavy breathing should have been an indicator. She spread her legs wider, allowing him full access to her and he started thrusting the tip of his tongue inside of her, teasing her, working her up to the point that she almost begged him for more.  
Jenna tightened her grip on his hair and carefully pulled him up to press their lips together for a passionate kiss and she reached between them and found his hardened member. Finally Peter uttered a soft sound that was somewhere between a groan and a mewl and that definitely meant approval. He had grown considerably and was only growing harder as she stroked him.  
Suddenly Peter cleared his throat. “I, erm,” he hesitated, “I didn't bring protection.”  
Jenna looked up at him, at his apologetic face and she granted him a smile. “It's okay,” she reassured him, “I'm on the pill.”  
He raised his eyebrows as if to ask whether she was absolutely sure but Jenna just pulled him down for another kiss. She didn't want him to talk. Talking gave her time to think about what they were going to do.  
Peter climbed on top of her while their lips were still locked and she could feel him brush against her entrance, the sensation sending all kinds of thoughts through her head. How good he looked, how much she wanted it, how wrong it was. No, not wrong. That thought had no place in her mind right now.  
He entered her carefully and Jenna groaned softly at the sudden sensation of having him glide into her wetness while Peter was as quiet as ever. For a brief moment she wondered if he would ever make a sound at all and then he started moving. He made it look so easy, so effortless as he propped himself up with his definitely strong arms and drove inside of her but his breathing was becoming quicker already and Jenna reached up to hold on tight to him. He filled her up so completely, the feeling of him inside of her simply marvellous as he was beginning to pick up pace.  
Peter bent down to place a sloppy kiss on her lips that was cut short because both of them ran out of breath. Instead she lifted her hips up, meeting his thrusts that came deeper each time, hitting that spot that made her moan loudly and clench her muscles around him to feel just a little more. That was what finally coaxed a sound from him as well, a low grunt from the back of his throat that he had been trying very hard to suppress. He was amazing at everything he did, acting, art, even this, not too fast, not too slow, always just exactly right.  
He used his hand to help lift up her hips and Jenna noticed that he was slowly beginning to lose track of their rhythm, that his thrusts were coming just a little quicker, just a little harder and she knew that like her he was drawing close. Each time he dove into her Jenna though that he would push her over the edge, the feeling slowly building up inside of her, creeping up on her until finally the it was beginning to overwhelm her and like a wave rolling ashore her orgasm came over her. Her walls were starting to flutter around him and with a low moan his movements stopped and he spilled himself inside of her.  
Peter remained inside her for a moment longer before he pulled out and collapsed into the sheets next to her. Jenna could still hear his panting even though she wasn't sure she was ready to look at him just yet and neither of them said anything for the longest time. 

“Do you want me to stay?” Peter asked eventually, quietly, his voice hardly a whisper.  
While her heart immediately wanted to say yes she remained silent. The damage was already done. There was nothing more that could happen if he stayed.  
“No, I think we should both try to get some sleep before the convention tomorrow,” Jenna replied and knew it was the reasonable decision.  
“Right,” he agreed and rose from the bed to go looking for his clothes.  
Jenna watched him getting dressed, trying to memorize the sight of it because she knew she wasn't ever going to see him like that again. Tomorrow it would be like nothing had ever happened.  
“I'll see you at breakfast?” Peter asked her, his usual smile on his face and Jenna couldn't help but smile back.  
“Yes. If I'm late save me a croissant.”  
“Will do,” he said, “Sleep well.”  
“You too,” Jenna replied before the door closed behind him and she rolled on her side, knowing that she would find no sleep tonight.


	2. Aftermath

_3 Weeks Before America_

 

Peter shoved his glasses further onto his nose and shifted in bed before his focus went back to the heavy book in his hands – a Christmas present from Elaine, a beautifully illustrated book about the _Game of Thrones_ history that he had been reading for a while whenever he spent his weekends at home.  
Suddenly he felt the duvet being lifted next to him and his wife climbed into bed with him, also wearing her glasses and also reaching for the book on her bedside table. Peter granted her a quick smile before he turned his attention on the story and pictures again.  
“Are you enjoying your book?” she asked him after a few minutes of silence that was only occasionally interrupted by the rustling of pages.  
Peter turned his head around and smiled. “Very much. Look,” he pointed at one of the illustrations, “Wish I had talent like that.”  
“You _have_ talent,” Elaine reminded him before he continued his reading. Still he could feel her eyes linger as if she wasn't done talking yet.   
When she didn't speak however he turned back around, eyeing her curiously. “Is something wrong?” Peter gave a nervous laugh, “Or is that your _you need a haircut_ look again?”  
Elaine smiled at him. “No, not at all. Your hair looks good. _You_ look good.”  
There was something hidden under her voice, some point he was missing or one that was yet to come. Peter couldn't quite tell.  
“You know I still owe you, right?”   
Peter squinted his eyes at her. He was definitely missing a point because he had no idea what she was talking about.  
“I slept with two other people while we were married and I told you that you were free to do the same,” Elaine explained quietly, a hint of a smile still on her lips.  
Peter rolled his eyes. They had had that conversation numerous times in the last 15 years and he hadn't exactly expected her to bring it up again after he had refused over and over.  
“You owe me nothing,” he replied and bent forward to place a kiss on her forehead, “I told you it was fine. I don't need to get even.”  
Elaine laughed. “You don't need to but you _can_. You're the star now, you have thousands of fangirls who would sell their soul for a night with you,” she shrugged, still laughing, “I'm just saying that if you were to pick one or two that you absolutely can. I wouldn't get mad.”  
“I don't want to,” he growled and stared back at his book, “It's been 15 years. I think we can bury that subject now.”  
“Fine,” his wife said, turning to her own book, “Just saying that if-”  
Peter kept looking at the pages and Elaine broke off, finally realizing that it was no good. He didn't want to have some fling with a fan, some cheap one night stand that would be gone in the morning. He wasn't the type and Elaine should know that. And, truth be told, he had felt miserable for weeks after Elaine had confessed her infidelity to him even though he hadn't showed it. Their marriage was stronger than that and he had known how little it had meant to her back then. Still he didn't want to inflict the same kind of pain on Elaine. He could never have what she had had 15 years ago. He could never be intimate with someone he didn't know.

* * *

_4 Weeks After America_

 

Jenna dropped her bags by the door and took a deep breath. The last weeks had been stressful and she was exhausted for once, drained of all her energy. It had started out with the convention in America and continued with more work for Victoria and even more events that someone always needed her to attend. Her only day off she had spent out in London last week, together with Matt and Lily and now Jenna was really looking forward to having a little time to herself. Read a book, watch a nice movie, maybe go out and try out her new camera that she had owned for months and never even had the time to touch. And since there was no more Richard she wouldn't have to worry about anyone interfering with her precious time.

Jenna was just on her way to the bathroom to take a nice, long bubble bath when the phone in her pocket rang and she retrieved it and-  
Her heart skipped a beat when she read the name on her screen. Peter. Jenna hadn't heard from him in almost a month and for a moment she considered not even answering her phone at all. The last time she had seen him had been at the convention in America and now that she was staring at his name she still felt a little angry. He hadn't mentioned what had happened between them with a single syllable. Of course, Jenna had never expected him to make a big deal out of it, but to not get any acknowledgement from him at all had hurt her ego just a little. Peter had treated her exactly like before they had slept together, no more and no less and it was still bugging her.  
When the ringing didn't cease Jenna finally answered the call. “Yes?” she asked a little too harshly.  
“Hey Jenna,” Peter's voice seemed happy, “How are you?”  
Annoyed. Irritated. Exhausted. “Bit tired. Just came home,” she replied, her voice showing no emotion, “You?”  
It took him a moment to reply. Maybe he had picked up on her bad mood, but instead he said: “Everything's good. I wanted to ask if you want to go out for a cup of coffee this week. Before I head back to Cardiff.”  
Jenna had no idea what to reply. Yes, she wanted to see him again but she was also still angry and the fact that he still acted like nothing had ever happened just made it worse. Unfortunately her silence was enough for him to figure out that something was wrong.  
“Jenna? You sure everything's okay?”  
She took a deep breath. And then the words just came stumbling out of her mouth before she could stop herself. “I haven't heard from you in a month, Peter. I didn't think the whole world would have changed because of what we did in that hotel room but I had expected a little more than nothing at all!”  
His breathing on the other end of the line was the only thing that told her he hadn't hung up, so she kept going.  
“I know that what we did was a mistake, I know it shouldn't have happened but it did and I was hoping that at some point we were going to talk about it. Or at least _mention_ it. You know, after the weekend and you treating me like any other person I even considered the possibility that I had imagined it all.”  
Then it came, quietly, softly, hardly a whisper, and it dawned on Jenna that maybe he wasn't alone in the room and couldn't talk freely. “I'm sorry. I thought you'd prefer if I didn't mention it.”  
“I don't,” Jenna replied, her voice having lost some of its harshness.  
“So, do you want to go out for coffee? You could bring your new camera, I'll bring mine and we'll go scouting for some new places afterwards. Somewhere more private, where we can talk.”  
Jenna took a deep breath. She wanted to see him. She wanted to talk. Slowly but surely her anger was starting to fade away.  
“I'd even be willing to up my offer to coffee and some cake,” Peter joked on the other end of the line and finally it made Jenna laugh, “Or ice cream if you want that.”  
“Fine,” she giggled a little nervously. Why was she nervous? It was only Peter. “Coffee and cake sounds good. Is tomorrow okay?”  
“Tomorrow's perfect.”

* * *

Peter cleaned the lens for the third time, fidgeting with his camera just to distract himself until Jenna arrived. The lens was clean and yet Peter tried to get rid of the last speck of dust. He was nervous. He had been nervous during their phone call even though he had tried his hardest not to show it because Jenna had been. . . she hadn't quite reacted as he had expected. Then again, he couldn't even say what he had expected of her because it was strange, because he had made it strange when he had slept with her.   
Peter took a deep breath and put the lens cap back on. Jenna was still nowhere to be seen around the park, at least the part he could overlook from his bench. He spotted a jogger, a man his own age walking his eager Labrador Retriever and a couple holding hands. No Jenna. A thought started to cross his mind, the thought that maybe she wouldn't even come after what had happened between them in America. Oh God, he had ruined their friendship, hadn't he?   
While he waited Peter replayed it all in his mind, the conversation with his wife, whom he still hadn't told about the encounter and maybe he never would because even though she had allowed him to get even something held him back from telling her. He replayed the night in America, how he had admired Jenna, how edgy he had felt on the inside because the thought of sleeping with her had been on his mind and how suddenly she had kissed him. It had changed everything, turning it into something surreal and then they had done the unspeakable thing.   
Now Peter was sitting on a park bench a month later, unable to ban the memory from his mind. Four long weeks he had been tormented by guilt because, if he was entirely honest with himself, a part of him wanted to feel it all again. Everything from the butterflies in his stomach to peeling this marvellous woman out of her clothes to sinking into her. He wanted it again and he knew that he shouldn't. Jenna was his friend and he had overstepped their boundaries and he had tried to make up for that all weekend by trying way too hard to treat her normally.

Suddenly the whole world went dark and Peter flinched as a pair of small, soft hands covered his eyes.  
“Guess who,” Jenna prompted him and Peter shoved her eyes away and turned around to stare straight into her face.  
“God, Jenna, you scared me,” he blurted out.  
Upon seeing his shocked face Jenna looked a little crestfallen. And nervous, too. She shifted her feet uncomfortably, not even looking him in the eyes. “I'm sorry,” she mumbled, “Sorry, I didn't mean to.”  
Peter inhaled sharply. Awkward was no expression for how he was feeling right now. “No,” he replied, “It's okay. Not your fault. I was just. . . just elsewhere.”  
A silence spread over the two of them and Peter racked his mind for something intelligent to say, anything. But there was only one thought in his head, the thought of how much he would like to hug her and kiss her. He truly had ruined it all.  
“I brought my camera,” Jenna suddenly said and a lot more cheerfully than he had expected, holding up her latest purchase, a Leica Q that Peter immediately stepped forward to admire. He owned a good camera, but that was something else. However when he went to take it from her their fingers brushed for an instant and Peter immediately pulled his hands back.  
A moment later he heard Jenna groan. “Let's go somewhere and talk,” she said determinedly.  
Peter's eyes shot up, barely able to meet her gaze. She was pure Jenna today. Trousers, shirt, ponytail, no make up and still she was the most gorgeous woman to him. What had he done by sleeping with her?  
“This is awkward,” she complained, “You know it, I know it. And that won't go away unless we talk and we can't talk here cause that jogger over there has stopped and is looking in our direction.”  
Jenna pointed to some place behind him and when Peter turned around he noticed the jogger quickly glancing away. She was right, of course, if someone overheard them it could turn this whole thing into an even bigger mess than it already was.   
Peter let out a long and heavy sigh. “Yeah”, he breathed, “So, where do you suggest we go? The original plan was a café but I don't think-”  
“My place,” Jenna replied abruptly, “It's just around the corner and a lot more private than here.”  
He nodded, uncertain of whether he really was ready to be alone in a room with her, but, God, he wanted it. He wanted Jenna alone, he wanted to talk and he wanted back what they had had before America. And yet he also wanted to kiss her.  
“How's the family?” her voice tore Peter from his thoughts as they walked. His family, the one thing he didn't want to think about right now and Jenna had immediately hit home. He hadn't confessed his infidelity to Elaine and he hadn't told her he was going to meet Jenna. _I'm gonna take a walk with my camera_ – that had been his excuse.  
“They're fine,” Peter replied absent-mindedly and before he knew it they had reached Jenna's house and the subject was dropped as Jenna unlocked her door and the two of them stepped inside. Peter threw another glance over his shoulder to see if anyone had noticed them but he didn't spot anything but people going about their business.

When he stepped into the familiar rooms it seemed that he was finally able to breathe for the first time this afternoon, as if the weight of the public had dropped from his shoulders. What was he even so agitated about? It was only Jenna. Beautiful, amazing Jenna that he wanted to be with so badly right now.  
“I'll make us a cup of coffee,” she announced and turned into the direction of the kitchen but Peter got hold of her hand at the last moment and pulled her back. Catching her off caught, he managed to pull her right up until their bodies met and Peter bent down to kiss her lips.  
The moment her mouth met his own Peter knew that he wanted more as a warm tingling spread over his entire body. Her lips were so soft, so sweet and he just needed to feel her, all of her, yet it was over in an instant as Jenna swiftly distanced herself from him, staring up at him out of her big, dark eyes.  
“What are you doing?” she asked him, the shyness showing in here voice.  
What was he doing? Kissing his friend and former co-star, wanting her even though he was married. But Elaine had allowed it, hadn't she? Two times. He was allowed two mistakes and Jenna was a mistake he would make again any day.  
“I'm sorry,” he mumbled apologetically but soon a smile spread across his face that he just couldn't help. “I just really wanted to-”  
Peter broke off when he saw her face grow stern and he uttered another quick apology and glanced away.  
“Peter, we can't do this. I mean, we did it once but that doesn't mean that it was right or that it should happen again,” Jenna reminded him, her voice sounding just a little hoarse, “You are _married_. And my friend.”  
“Elaine, she-” Peter paused. How was he going to explain it to Jenna? This weird thing in his marriage that Elaine had kept pushing on him until he had done it. “She stepped out on me twice. Ages ago. I had completely forgotten about it and-”  
“And now you thought you could do the same?” Jenna asked, a sudden anger showing in her voice.  
“No,” he was abhorred, “No, not like that. Elaine has been saying that I should get even ever since it had happened. She kept telling me it was alright and I never intended to. . . but. . . America. . . and you. . .”  
He was stammering. He was nervous again. Only now he wasn't nervous because of what they had done but because of what he really wanted to do again. He just couldn't find it in his heart to ask her.  
“I,” Peter paused, “I don't know. I just thought that. . . nevermind.”  
“You want your second time,” Jenna realized.  
Peter exhaled sharply, but he never said a thing. She was right and he was scared to admit it.  
Jenna looked up and straight at him now. “I think you should go.”  
And just like that his heart sank into his boots. He truly had ruined their friendship and at this moment he started internally cursing himself for it, wishing it had never happened in the first place. At least he wouldn't have missed her so much if it hadn't.  
Peter gave a soft nod and started turning away when this time it was Jenna who moved ahead and reached for his hand.  
“I didn't mean it like that,” she corrected herself.  
He arched his eyebrows up as he looked at her. “How _did_ you mean it?”  
Jenna inhaled sharply, seemingly uncomfortable. “For the past few weeks I've been very confused, thinking about how you and I had cheated on Elaine, wondering why you never called, wondering whether I'll ever see you again. Now you show up and tell me that your wife has given you permission to cheat and that you want-” she hesitated, “That you want to do it again. It's a lot to take in. I,. . . I didn't expect that.”  
He nodded slowly.  
“I need to think about it. About what I want.”  
At that Peter's eyes shot up, looking straight at her. _About what I want._ Had he heard her right? While he was still staring Jenna spoke again.  
“I will think about it and I will call you once I've made a decision,” she paused, “And I probably won't take a month.”  
Peter's heart should have leapt with joy at her words and he did notice it beating a little faster as he was realizing just what Jenna had just said. However there was also a part of him that was anxious, a part of him that thought, even though Elaine had allowed it, he was doing a very, very wrong thing. Something about it just didn't seem right and yet a smile spread over his face as he looked at her. Maybe, just maybe, it would happen again and he would love that – and he would regret that.


	3. Just Like The Old Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the sweet comments. I know, I'm terrible when it comes to updating this story. Sorry about that.

Jenna had been staring at the phone for the last ten minutes, rethinking her decision over and over even though it had been made days ago. But was it the right one? Of course it was. Determined now she picked up the phone.  
“Hello Jenna,” Peter's voice was hesitant, which was only natural, given that he had been waiting for her answer for a week. By now he was already back in Cardiff and busy shooting the new series. Jenna wasn't vain enough to think that she was on his mind a lot, but he must have thought about it at least from time to time.  
“Hey Peter,” she replied, tapping her fingers on the table. She could still change her mind back if she wanted to. “How are you?”  
“Uhm,” he paused, and then laughed, “A little nervous, to be honest. And you?”  
Nervous? She could relate to that only too well. “I'm nervous, too,” she admitted.  
“Well, you've called, so I take it you've made up your mind?” he asked cautiously and Jenna suddenly felt a little sick. Maybe she should really change her mind back? No, she had thought this through.   
“Can you talk? I mean,” she stammered. God, was she really doing this? Talking to a married man about the one night stand they had had? Even though his wife had given him permission to cheat, it still felt wrong. “Are you alone right now or is this a bad time?”  
“I'm in my trailer. Waiting for the rain to stop to continue the scene. So, yeah,” he paused, “I can talk, I mean.”  
Jenna took a deep breath. Last chance to change her mind. Now.   
“Jenna, please, can you just tell me about your decision? You're killing me here,” he replied a little desperately. It was so unlike him. But then again, the sex had changed a lot of things and a part of her wished it could all be undone.  
“I think we should try to go back to being friends,” Jenna said after a moment. It was the reasonable decision. Nothing good would come out of sleeping together again.  
“Oh,” Peter breathed, “Well, yeah. That's fine.”  
She could hear the disappointment in his voice and suddenly felt the need to justify her decision. Damn, she hadn't thought it would be so hard. “Peter,” she said, “We're great as friends. Awesome, actually. But you have to admit that things have been weird since America and I don't like it. _I miss you._ ”  
“I miss you, too,” Peter sounded a little sad.  
“I want it to be like before, but I don't think that's gonna happen if we do it again. It will just make everything even weirder. I'm not gonna lie, I was tempted to say yes,” Jenna admitted, “But I really think this is the for the best. I'd rather keep you as a friend.”  
“Yes,” Peter replied, now sounding a little more determined, “Yes, you are right. You're absolutely right. It was stupid of me to even ask. I'm not really made for one night stands, I don't get the concept of it. When Elaine kept telling me to do it I knew I couldn't, not with someone I didn't care about and then you-”  
“I get it,” Jenna interrupted him, “And I'm a flattered that you thought of me. And I enjoyed it. A lot. But I think we better put a stop to it now before things get out of hand. We're both not into causal things.”  
“So, we're good?”   
“Yes,” she couldn't help but smile out of relief, “Yes, we are. And now let's close this particular box and put it in the back of the wardrobe. How's Cardiff?” Jenna asked to change the topic.  
She heard Peter blew the air out between his lips. “Phew, rainy. Windy. Disgusting weather, actually, and I'm afraid it won't stop any time soon.”  
“Same here,” she replied, “We cancelled shooting for this week because we've only got outdoor stuff left and the ground is so muddy that it's impossible to work.”  
“If you've got the week off, why don't you come and visit me?” Peter suddenly suggested and it made Jenna stop and hesitate. God, it didn't use to be so strange between them.  
“Sorry, that was a silly idea,” he apologized quickly, “You probably have other events to attend.”  
Then again, they had both admitted that they missed each other. They had talked about America. Everything was fine, wasn't it? And she really, really did miss him.  
“Actually, no,” Jenna said after thinking about it, “I could come and visit you. Why not? Let's do that.”  
“Jenna, no,” Peter told her but Jenna was already rising from her seat and walking towards her suitcase that was still packed, “It's such a long way. I wouldn't want to put you through the trouble. Not for me.”  
“I'm in London already, so it's not _such_ a long way. And my suitcase is still packed, so I'm as good as on my way,” she argued.  
“Please, don't bother with the car ride. I'll be back in London soon and-”  
“And I will be back filming Victoria, so it's now or never.”  
She heard Peter sigh on the other end of the line.  
“You can't miss me that much then,” Jenna teased him, smiling to herself cause she knew that she had him now.  
“That is really unfair,” he replied grumpily, “You know I miss you.”  
“Good, cause you'll see me in about three hours,” she said and suddenly her heart seemed to skip a beat at the thought of seeing Peter again. It would be just like in the old days. The two of them hanging out in Cardiff, talking and just spending time together.   
“I'll see you in three hours,” Peter said and she thought she could hear him smile even through the phone. Jenna couldn't wait to get to Cardiff now.

* * *

Peter jumped up from the sofa when the door bell rang and upon seeing Jenna the butterflies in his stomach started doing somersaults. He had missed her so terribly that he didn't even say hello before he flung his arms around her in a tight embrace, happy that everything was okay between them, that he hadn't messed it all up.   
“Ugh, let me breathe, will you?” Jenna complained half-heartedly as she hugged him back, laughing as she did. He didn't even want to let go, though eventually he did.  
“Come inside,” he told her and reached for her suitcase before Jenna had the chance and dragged it into his living room.  
“Oh, you've redecorated,” Jenna commented upon looking around, “I'm afraid the quote ends here because I do like- _Peter!_ ”  
He turned around at the mention of his name and saw that Jenna pointed towards the telly.  
“You're not seriously watching Doctor Who again, are you?” she cocked an eyebrow at him but soon enough Jenna started laughing as she sank down on the sofa. “You're your own show's biggest fan.”  
Peter lowered his gaze to his feet. “I just thought this episode was really funny,” he defended himself and reached for the remote to switch off “The Crimson Horror”. Then he decided to change the topic. “I've ordered pizza. Hope you haven't eaten on the way.”  
“I haven't, no. I'm actually starving,” Jenna replied and he looked at her to see her smiling at him, “But I should probably find a hotel to stay in before I get too comfortable here. It's pretty late already.”  
Peter's heart suddenly sank. Of course she would want to stay at a hotel after everything that had happened between them. It had been stupid of him to think otherwise.  
“You've prepared the guest bedroom, haven't you?”  
“No,” he tried to lie but he saw on her face that it was no use at all, “Yes.”  
Jenna hesitate, but eventually shrugged her shoulders. “That's fine, I guess. I just thought you wouldn't want me staying here.”  
“I'd understand if you wouldn't want to. I mean, I have to get up at 4:30 am and you probably want to sleep in. I might wake you and-”  
“It's fine,” Jenna said determinedly, probably just wanting to end another awkward conversation. Maybe everything wasn't as normal between them as they wanted to believe.   
“Okay,” he said, shuffling his feet nervously. It was still weird, but they would manage. Somehow.  
“Now, sit down so we can finish the episode. Just like in the old days, right?” Jenna asked but her voice had lost some of its determination.   
“Yeah,” he sank down next to her, “Just like the old days.” Before he had ruined everything by sleeping with his best friend.


	4. Set Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the sweet comments, babes :D I don't know why, but I feel so inspired to write this right now. . . eeeeeeep :D

Jenna kept tossing and turning in the sheets, unable to find rest no matter how hard she tried. Just knowing that Peter was lying right next door was enough to keep her mind fully awake. She had missed him so terribly and had been so happy to see him again, only to realize that it was still awkward between them. They had found things to talk about easily enough, but whenever their knees had brushed Peter had apologized, whenever her gaze had lingered on him she had apologized and eventually Jenna had excused herself, claiming that she was exhausted from the ride just to get away from the tension between her and Peter. Jenna rolled on her side and closed her eyes. Maybe sleep would come if she thought about something else.

The next thing that woke her was the sound of car horns and Jenna opened her eyes, her gaze falling to the alarm clock on the bedside table and she realized that it was already 9 am. She shut her eyes again and took a deep breath, knowing that she had at least slept a little, if not nearly enough. But by now Peter was already in the middle of shooting and that gave Jenna a little time to herself, a little time to think. Maybe she should pack her bags and leave – either tonight or tomorrow morning. She couldn't stay, not like this.  
Ten minutes later Jenna was roaming the apartment, coffee mug in her hand, and for the first time she really took a look around. It looked different now, homelier, as if he had finally settled in after over two years, as if he spent a lot more time here than he used to. There were plants that looked healthy and posters and pictures framing the walls of his living room. A large one of Elaine and their daughter while she was still a teenager, a framed autograph from Tom Baker and then there was. . . something she hadn't seen the day before. The only two pictures that had Peter in them – and herself – taken during the Doctor Who world tour. Thames and Big Ben in the background. Arms around each other. Peter was looking goofy in one of them and Jenna was laughing at him. She remembered his silly joke even now. Oh, those were the days. 

Jenna finished her coffee before heading for the shower and getting dressed, determined to use what was left of the day because it could as well be her last one here, depending on how things went with Peter tonight. She left his apartment, stopped to buy some breakfast at one of the many cafés at Mermaid Quay and then set out to make her way towards the studios. A couple of fans stopped her on the way and Jenna put on a smile despite the wind and the freezing cold and took a few selfies, handed out autographs, before she continued her stride and eventually arrived where she had wanted to be. The set of Doctor Who. A smile spread over her face when Jenna stepped inside, spotting people running around, going about their hectic business until Peter's voice brought the attention on herself.  
“Look, everyone! We have a special guest!”  
And just like that all eyes were on her and once more Jenna dived into the world of Doctor Who. She soon lost track of how many people she hugged, how many were greeting her, someone handed her a cup of coffee and offered her a chair but as soon as filming continued Jenna started to notice the one thing that had changed: no matter how friendly and warm everyone was towards her, Peter soon headed back in front of the cameras, with Pearl at his side. They were no longer the dynamic duo Peter and Jenna. Now it was Peter and Pearl. Jenna tried to swallow the lump in her throat at the sight of the two of them together but couldn't. Peter was slipping from her grasp. She had lost him as colleague and it seemed as if she was losing him as a friend as well.

* * *

“You look a little sour. Is everything alright?” Peter asked as he walked her to his car, keeping a close eye on Jenna because he somehow felt like he had neglected her during the day. Shooting today had been busy and he had mostly left Jenna to herself, and even though most of the crew still remembered her, and fondly so, she had spent most of the time on the side. Alone.  
“Just cold,” she replied, not even looking at him, but even in the darkness he could see that not everything was fine.  
“Well, we'll be home in five minutes. You can take a warm bubble bath if you like,” he suggested hopefully.  
Finally Jenna looked up. “Isn't that usually what you do after work? You must be freezing, too, you've spent the last 40 minutes chained up and not moving. At least I could walk around.”  
Peter had to admit that she had a point there, but he would happily take his chances with the sofa blanket if it meant lighting her mood. “You forget, the last ten minutes were running.”  
The conversation stopped when they had reached the car and Peter racked his brain for a way to keep it going, but nothing would come to mind. He hated how things were between them and his hopes of the set visit somehow magically flinging them back into the told times had been utterly crushed. If anything, it had made it worse. Jenna seemed further away than ever and all he wanted was to have her back. Not even like America, he had given up on the thought of something like that happening again. 

They drove home in silence and instead of worrying about their friendship Peter tried to occupy his mind with the question of what to make for dinner as they walked upstairs. He was tired after a long day and the last thing he needed was another sleepless night, wondering if he and Jenna would ever be okay again.  
“What do you think about pasta?” Peter asked her casually, making his way towards the kitchen.  
“Peter?”  
He turned around and when he looked at her he knew what was going to happen. Jenna remained standing in the hallway and while he had already discarded his coat by the door she still wore hers. She was about to leave. And if she left now he wasn't sure things could ever be repaired between them.  
But then the most unexpected thing happened. Jenna stepped forward, almost launched at him, only to come to a full stop right in front of him. Her eyes were so large, so sad as she looked up and he tried to find the words to say something, anything, but instead he bent down the same moment Jenna went up on her toes and their lips were united in a kiss that seemed long, long overdue.


	5. Cosy Evening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the sweet comments. And now, let them have a few cosy moments before shit starts to go down.

Finally they had found something that didn't feel strange. Finally something that came absolutely naturally. Jenna let herself fall against his chest while Peter closed his arms around her back, pulling her closer and deeper into their kiss. It was odd how they had both decided at the same moment to just go for it, to just let it happen, but Jenna was glad that they had and that he hadn't hesitated in the slightest to kiss her back when she had opened her mouth to let him in. She welcomed the warmth coming from his body that was too inviting to stop and everything she had sworn not to do was thrown over board. Maybe this was just what they needed, their second and last time, to move on from that limbo they had been in since America. But right now Jenna was more than content just sharing this kiss with him, tasting his lips while his arms held her without the intention to let go.  
When the lack of air forced them to break the kiss Jenna looked up at him. There was something Peter wanted to say, she was sure of that, but before that could happen she smiled at him. “Pasta sounds nice.”  
His forehead wrinkled in a frown.  
“You asked what I though about pasta. I said it sounds nice,” Jenna explained, a giggle coming over her lips when she noticed how flustered he was.  
“Oh, erm,” Peter stammered, “Yes. Pasta.”  
When he still didn't move Jenna reached for his hand and gently pulled him in the direction of the kitchen where finally he appeared to wake from his trance. She hung her coat over the backrest of one of the chairs while Peter started gathering the ingredients for their dinner and together they set out to prepare the meal. They didn't talk much at first, just exchanging glances and smiling whenever their eyes met. 

“So, did you enjoy today?” Peter asked after a while, “The set visit, I mean.”  
For a moment Jenna didn't even know what to say. She had. And she hadn't. Mostly she was still confused and maybe a little jealous because he was getting along so well with his new co-star. It still bugged her that she had been replaced in that way, even though she had known it would happen. Yet seeing it with her own eyes was something else entirely.  
“Jenna?”  
“It was nice,” she lied and turned away from Peter to grab two plates from the cupboard.  
“You should have talked to Pearl. She's a lovely girl,” Peter explained and all of a sudden Jenna felt her stomach twinge. It had been entirely her decision to leave and yet the thought of Peter sharing what they had had with somebody else hurt a little.  
Suddenly the ringing of his phone interrupted their conversation and Jenna was glad for the distraction, even though Peter didn't seem to feel the same as he stared at the display of his phone.  
“It's Elaine,” he said and maybe there was a hint of fear in his voice.  
“Well, answer it,” she prompted him. And so he did.

“Hi darling. . . yes, yes, everything's fine. Weather isn't, but the rest, yeah. . . I'm not actually sure yet. We had to move some scenes back a bit because of the rain. Might do them on the weekend. . . Yes, I'll let you know,” there was a long pause between them, “Uhm, Jenna came to visit today. . . Yeah, nice surprise. We're about to have dinner together and catch up.”  
Jenna paused as she listened to his words and couldn't help but notice that Peter wasn't being entirely honest with his wife about her visit. She had arrived yesterday and they had already caught up – and it was hardly a surprise when he had asked her here. Had he not told Elaine about their one night stand? She had given him permission, so Jenna had assumed he would tell her. Yet something gave her the impression that something was off.  
“Elaine says hi,” Peter said hastily and put his phone away.  
“Uhm,” Jenna hesitated. Should she ask about it or not? She decided that for the moment she would not. “Say hi back the next time you talk.”  
“Pasta seems ready,” he noted and set out to finish cooking and before Jenna knew it they were both sitting on the sofa, telly running, legs up, and eating a delicious meal.  
Peter had opened a bottle of red wine and Jenna had decided to forget about the phone call and the set visit and just enjoy this moment, because right now it actually did feel like in the old times. While they had been shooting their first series together Peter had started to introduce her to Classic Who and tonight they were continuing that tradition with an episode called “Shada”. Jenna pushed her empty plate aside and leaned back, sipping her wine while listening to Tom Baker's narration.  
“It's a shame they never finished that episode,” Peter complained and at the same time laid his arm around her shoulder, “It's such a good one.”  
Jenna rested her head on him. “It is, actually.”

She turned around to smile at him and Peter smiled back at her. It was obvious from his face that he was knackered, but there was something else in his gaze, too. A longing she hadn't really taken notice of so far. He already knew she had changed her mind about that second time, or at least he was hoping she had and Jenna quickly downed the rest of her wine, put the glass aside and then straddled his lap. Peter seemed surprised at first but he gave in quickly when she bent down to brush their lips together. His kiss was shy at first, but soon grew more eager when her hips dug into his crotch. Peter closed his arms around her, pulling her closer against his chest and soon his hands started wandering. Over her thighs. Under her shirt. Unhooking her bra. Jenna hissed softly when he cupped one of her breasts and started teasing her nipple, his touch rousing her desire for him in ways she only vaguely remembered from their first time together. He was so good with those hands, so talented and while her juices were already beginning to pool between her thighs they broke the kiss to catch their breath.  
“I've changed my mind,” Jenna whispered, smiling at him.  
Peter laughed. “I sort of figured that,” he replied and Jenna thought he looked utterly happy.  
He lifted his hand to her trousers and swiftly undid the button before diving in, his fingers feeling for her wetness and Jenna couldn't help but gasp as he slid between her folds. His touch was burning on her sensitive skin and in turn Jenna reached down between his legs to find him already stiff beneath the fabric of his trousers. Hastily she opened his belt and trousers and dipped her hand in in return, wrapping it around his hardened member. Peter let his head fall back when she did and started rocking against her palm.  
They were such a mess of limbs, on top of each other, hands tending to their arousal, lips locking occasionally despite their shortness of breath. Grinding. Panting. He had found her clit and Jenna uttered a mewling sound when he rubbed it at an increasing pace. In return Peter was rock solid in her palm, leaking precum already and she tightened her grip further, pumping him, causing him to moan loudly.  
“Jenna,” he panted breathlessly, “I want you. I want to come inside-”  
His voice was drowned out in a moan as she ran her thumb across his wet tip. They were beyond the point of no return, both of them. She was closing in on her climax, grinding harder against his hand and she didn't have the slightest intention to stop. Just a little more, just a little faster and then-  
Jenna whimpered as she felt her orgasm wash over her in waves of pleasure and she prayed that he wouldn't stop touching her as Peter pushed her further and further, dragging out her climax until she thought she couldn't take it any more.  
When she opened her eyes, still panting, she noticed that Peter's face was distorted with arousal, that he was closer than ever and Jenna increased the speed while he thrust into her fist in return, his breath coming out ragged in his frenzy and he cried out when at the same time she felt him spill himself over her hand and inside his pants.  
“Jenna,” he muttered, gasping for air, “I wanted to. . . I wanted-”  
“Shhh,” she hushed him before she bent down for a short kiss. She knew he had wanted it to be the real thing, not just fumbling like a pair of silly teenagers. But there was still time for that later. Right now they both sank back onto the sofa, spent, and in desperate need of some rest.


	6. Second Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comment :)

Peter woke up when Jenna shifted in her sleep and he needed a moment to gather his thoughts, to figure out where he was and what had happened, but slowly it all came back to him. The DVD menu illuminated the otherwise dark living room and Jenna was snuggled up against his chest, his arms holding her close and his heart skipped a beat at the thought of Jenna lying in his arms like that. But the more he woke from his half sleep the clearer the whole picture became. It was still in the middle of the night and he was sleeping on the sofa, trousers undone and feeling sticky. They had to move, otherwise he would ruin his back completely. And he had to set the alarm.  
“Jenna,” Peter whispered softly but she just uttered a low, sleepy sound in return. He bent forward and kissed her forehead. “Let's move to the bed. Come on. It's more comfortable.”  
When she opened her eyes and granted him a soft, tired smile Peter couldn't help himself. He brought his lips to hers and they shared a long, lazy kiss. If they didn't move they would just fall back asleep like this, but he wasn't prepared to let go of her altogether. He wanted to fall asleep again with her in his arms. He would just prefer to do it in a bed.  
Finally Peter managed to coax her into a sitting position and he stood up, looking down at himself and suddenly all he could do was laugh. In his tired state the whole scenario seemed ridiculous.  
“What's the matter?” Jenna giggled, obviously amused by his sudden outburst.  
“Nothing,” he laughed, “Just didn't think our second time would be like. . . well, like this. Like some teenage couple in the back of dad's van.”  
“That wasn't our second time,” she laughed with him but suddenly Jenna stopped, her eyes growing wide. “It wasn't, was it?”  
“I thought you. . . we. . . well. . .,” he paused, suddenly unsure. Certainly that permission Elaine had given him could be interpreted in more than one way? They hadn't had sex, not really. “No? No, it wasn't.”  
Jenna cocked an eyebrow at him and he could see the questions forming in her mind. He had to stop them before she spoke. That wasn't a discussion he wanted to have in the middle of the night, not when he had to get up at 5 am.  
“I need a shower,” Peter concluded, “Do you want to join me?”  
She hesitated for a moment and Peter held out his hand. Still she remained on the sofa.  
“Nice, hot shower?” he asked carefully.  
Finally Jenna cracked a smile and rose from the sofa to take his hand. 

Peter almost protested when Jenna started stripping out of her clothes in the bathroom because it meant he was missing the opportunity to peel her out of her shirt and trousers, missing that wonderful moment of discovering her body once more. After so many years of marriage it was exciting to have someone new and to undress a woman like Jenna was something he had never imagined to happen in his entire life. However the sadness over the missed chance soon vanished when she stepped inside the shower, stark naked and all of her beauty so clearly on display in front of him. He swallowed.  
“Are you coming or not?” Jenna asked him as she turned on the shower.  
Slowly Peter removed his shirt and kicked off his stained trousers and pants before he joined her under the running, hot water but his eyes never left her even for a second. Had his thoughts really been innocent when he had asked her to shower with him? He couldn't even say anymore, only that they weren't chaste now as he watched the water run over her naked skin. She was perfect, everything about her was perfection. He had come only hours before and he couldn't even remember last time he had had sex twice on the same day, Peter usually considered himself lucky it if happened twice a week or even month when he was busy shooting, and now he wished he still had the stamina to make love to her all night because that was what he wanted more than anything. Their second time should be something special, something she would remember. And he would cherish every second of it.  
When Jenna cleared her throat Peter was finally torn from his daydream and he looked up at her, or tried very hard to. But he couldn't tear his gaze from her, not for long.  
“Need any help with that?” she nodded towards his rising erection. God, what must she think of him when he couldn't even control his desire for five minutes? He felt like a damn teenager again with her.  
Peter stepped forward and gently placed his hands on Jenna's waist, pulling her closer until their skin touched. A wonderful feeling. His hips against hers, his cock already twitching at the promise of entering her once more and the hot water only added to the warm, slippery sensation. He bent down to kiss her and Jenna was only too ready to give in to him, craning her neck, opening her mouth to him as he sucked her bottom lip. She was amazing, looked amazing, tasted amazing and every touch from her, every little reaction tingled on his skin.  
They stumbled backwards until Jenna's back leaned against the shower wall and she uttered a moan when his lips left hers to travel south, covering her throat in kisses, sucking, nibbling, and she shifted against him so that his hardening member was rubbing deliciously against her sex. Oh, the temptation of giving in right then and there. 

“Peter,” Jenna gasped when he had moved further down, sucking her nipple and massaging the other breast with his hand, “Need you.”  
She was breathing heavily, writhing under him, and responded to every single caress he gave her while his cock was beginning to throb and ache with desire for her.  
“Please,” she hissed before he silenced her with a short kiss on the mouth, “Inside me.”  
Peter chuckled. “With my luck I'm gonna slip and fall and you will have a lot of explaining to do in the casualty department. _Naked Doctor Who star broke his back in the shower in the presence of equally naked ex-co-star._ ”  
Jenna groaned in frustration as she reached for his face and pulled him down to meet her, kissing him so hungrily that it left him with little doubt about her state of arousal. Peter lowered his hand between her thighs and slipped a finger between her folds where she was so wet that he almost changed his mind about doing it in the shower. She moaned into his mouth when he entered her, her walls clenching needily around his finger. He added a second and had to break the kiss when Jenna started panting under him, her eyes closed and brows furrowed in arousal. Seeing her like this, so turned on because of him, filled him with emotions he hadn't felt in such a long time. It was almost as if all of his hormones had been sent into overdrive.  
Peter brought his mouth to her ear. “I want you to come for me, darling,” he whispered before he nipped at her earlobe and Jenna began whimpering under his touch right before he could feel her muscles flutter around his fingers and her legs were beginning to shake with the power of her orgasm.  
Peter withdrew his fingers from her and kissed her roughly until she broke away, panting and still a little unsteady on her feet.  
“Let's dry up and move to the bedroom, shall we?” he asked her and luckily she nodded in response. He could hardly wait to continue where they had left off. 

Neither of them bothered to put their clothes back on as they headed towards the bedroom but once Peter sank down on his bed he suddenly felt a little at a loss as to how to go on from here. What if Jenna was tired and wanted to sleep now? She hadn't said anything. Fortunately Jenna smiled at him as soon as she had closed the bedroom door and proceeded to crawl on top of him, the thoughts in his head already running wild at the visual image in front of him.  
“So,” she began flirtatiously, “What would you like for your second time?”  
His mouth suddenly felt dry and he couldn't for the life of him remember how he had managed to muster up the courage to make a move while they had been in America. That had been so unlike him and the wine had made him a little braver. Now he almost felt lost for words. “You,” he replied simply, truthfully. He didn't care how, just the fact that is was Jenna was enough.  
“Do you want to be on top or should I-”  
“You,” he replied again and smiled at her, “I want to look at you.”  
Jenna smiled back at him as she crawled downwards, covering his chest in tiny kisses and Peter leaned back, for a moment just taking in the sensation – until it suddenly stopped.  
“You're looking really good now, do you know that?” she asked him, still smiling.  
Peter laughed. “I'm sorry?”  
She gave a light shrug. “You do. The longer hair, and you've been working out. I like that,” she admitted, “No wonder the fans are all going crazy when they see you.”  
Peter wanted to reply something witty, wanted to deny that the fans were crazy about him but at that moment Jenna reached for his shaft and trailed her tongue over the head of his cock. He had wanted to say something, but he instantly forgot what that was. Instead he gave a soft moan as she sucked him into her mouth, the feeling of warmth engulfing him so completely that nothing else mattered at this moment.  
“Jenna,” he moaned when she continued to suck him, working him up until he was completely hard and ready and still she ran her tongue flat across his underside when he was already leaking into her mouth. Peter opened his eyes and looked at her, trying to memorize the sight of this wonderful woman around him. He thrust up a little and realized just how far he was gone in his arousal already when he hit the back of her throat. Jenna didn't even complain. “Jesus Christ,” he hissed and reached down, pulling her up to be at eye level with him before he forgot himself over what she was doing to him.  
They shared a kiss that was cut short due to their lack of breath before Jenna straddled his lap again and he shifted under her in impatience. Then finally she lowered herself on top of him and started sinking down on his cock.  
Peter tried to swallow a groan that still came out as a strangled noise when she adjusted around him. She was so wet for him, so tight, he had to think of something so he wouldn't ruin this moment and finish after just a few seconds. He sank deeper into the pillows, hands on her hips as she started moving on top of him.  
“Like that?” Jenna asked him, her breathing a little heavier again.  
“Yes. Yes,” he panted, clawing his nails into her skin, “God, Jenna, you feel amazing.”  
Their second time. Their last time. He would never feel like this again. He would never have her like this again. 

When that thought crossed his mind once more he was suddenly overcome by an urge he couldn't really explain. Without warning he flipped them both over, Jenna uttering a sound of surprise when she landed on her back.  
“Peter,” she giggled, “What's gotten into you?”  
Instead of replying he placed a kiss on her lips and drove back inside her, making her moan in pleasure at the sudden impact and something told him she wouldn't complain any further as she wrapped her legs around his lower back to allow him in deeper.  
They rocked together, picking up pace and Peter could tell by her panting that Jenna was close. He thrust inside her, revelling in the feeling of her around his cock, how it was beginning to burn and send sparks through his entire body. He wanted her faster, harder and he wanted this to never, ever end.  
Jenna whimpered underneath him, a sound he had already come to associate with her imminent climax. He could do it. He could push her over the edge once more. She clawed at his back, her eyes already shut tight and Peter increased the speed just a little. God, if she didn't come anytime soon, he certainly would. The feeling of her tight muscles around him was overwhelming when he plunged into her, each thrust bringing him a little closer. There was no going back now, he could feel it.  
When Jenna cried out and her walls tightened further around him Peter could feel his orgasm shoot through him like a lightning bolt and he stilled his movements, for a moment frozen in that second of utter pleasure and relief when he poured himself inside of her.

Then he slumped down in bed next to her and thought he was unable to move a single limb. He felt nothing but sheer bliss and exhaustion while he was waiting for his breathing to return to normal.  
“Are you okay?” Jenna's face popped into his field of vision and she looked a little worried. Worried, but utterly beautiful, her eyes so dark and cheeks still flushed from the workout. He hoped he would never forget that image.  
Peter smiled at her, still trying to catch his breath. “Never been better.”  
“I thought for a moment you were working yourself towards a heart attack.”  
He giggled, raising an eyebrow at her. “Not bad for almost 60, eh?”  
Peter reached for her arm and pulled her down to lie in his arms. That was all he wanted right now. To fall asleep, holding Jenna. She snuggled up against his chest and, worn out but happy, Peter soon drifted off to sleep.  
“I love you,” he whispered before he closed his eyes.


	7. Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the sweet reviews :) And here comes the first bit of trouble.

It was the most beautiful morning. He wasn't sure what had woken him up, but the sun was shining through the curtains, the smell of sex and Jenna still hung in the air and clung to his sheets and she was sleeping in his arms, back pressed against his chest, her small arse nestled against his crotch and he never wanted to let go. Sleepily Peter shifted in bed, pulling her just a little closer until she murmured softly and he brought his lips to her neck, covering her skin in lazy kisses while he recalled the wonderful memories of last night. The way she had felt, the way _he_ had felt with her, the excitement and butterflies in his stomach. What was the time? Maybe they could start the morning like the last night had ended before he needed to be on set.  
No, they couldn't. He was allowed two times and he had used them all up. No more Jenna. Never again. Except she was still lying in his arms and if it happened in the same night, didn't it count as one time instead of two?  
“Peter,” Jenna hummed sleepily as he continued his kisses on her shoulder, caressing every inch of skin within reach. Just another moment, just a bit longer. Reality would hit again soon enough.  
He let his hand trailer of her stomach and further down until he found that spot between her thighs and Jenna shifted against him, her arse rubbing against his member that had already grown a little harder just thinking about it.  
“Peter, we can't. You-”  
There was a sudden knock on the front door that made them jump apart in an instant. Right, the knocking sound. That was what had woken him up.  
“Fuck,” Peter cursed as he rose from the bed, the room suddenly spinning as he stood up. Then his eyes fell on the alarm clock next to his bed. “ _Fuck!_ ”  
“Peter? It's Steven! You okay?” they heard a muffled voice from the other side of the door.  
“Where are my pants?!” Peter asked hastily.  
Finally Jenna scrambled into a sitting position as well. “Bathroom,” she mumbled.  
Peter tore the drawer open and quickly pulled out pants and a shirt, putting them on before he dashed to open the front door, but not without closing the bedroom first. If Steven found Jenna in his bed they would have a lot of explaining to do.

“Peter, thank God, I thought something had happened to you,” Steven said, his voice sounding relieved as he let himself into the flat.  
“Sorry, I, erm,-”  
“Don't say anything. Jenna's in town. You guys were catching up. I get it,” Steven made a waving hand gesture, “You didn't answer your phone and you're never late. Just wanted to see if you were okay and didn't slip in the shower or something”  
Steven's comment almost made Peter choke.  
“And to drag you to work, of course. Cause you _are_ late,” Steven reminded him sternly.  
“Yes,” he cleared his throat, “Sorry. I'll get dressed and meet you at the studio in half an hour. Sorry about this. Won't happen again.”  
Once Steven had left the door to the bedroom opened again and Jenna emerged, wearing one of his faded band t-shirts. She granted him a shy smile.  
“Sorry, I didn't want you to be late to work,” she apologized.  
“Not your fault. I should've set the bloody alarm,” Peter cursed again, now because this morning was ruined. And it had started out so beautifully. He loved being the Doctor but if he could choose between chasing aliens and still lying in bed with Jenna right now, he would choose her over any Dalek.  
“I'm gonna take a quick shower. Wanna come?” he asked.  
Jenna shook her head. “No, you go ahead. I'll stop by the studios later.”  
Peter was about to protest her decision, but realized that he probably shouldn't. Instead he just nodded and trudged off to the bathroom.

* * *

_“I love you.”_  
His words resounded in her head like a catchy pop song that she just couldn't get rid of. There was no way he could have meant those words, was there? Things hadn't really gone according to plan, Jenna realized that now. She had come to Cardiff to fix their friendship and instead of doing that they had ended up sleeping together once more – and yet she couldn't say that she regretted it. Not yet anyway. That was it now. Peter had used up his free pass and now he would return to his wife. The thought of it stung a little, but at least the temptation would be gone. No more what ifs looming over them. No more chances. They had to return to being just friends at this point. And yet . . .  
_“I love you.”_  
Those three words probably hadn't meant anything at all. Peter was a sweet man, probably the sweetest man she had ever met and he had said them in the spur of the moment, nothing more.  
Jenna decided to brush the thought aside, but it wouldn't quite work. The love confession, his actions this morning – he had been about to seduce her again, hadn't he? No, it was just cuddling, something a sweet man like Peter did during the morning after. Nothing to worry about.

 

Jenna spent the day wandering around Cardiff, taking pictures with the new camera that she hadn't owned back when she had worked here. It was sunny, yet quite cold and windy, but the pictures still turned out beautifully. She stopped by a restaurant and eventually made her way to the Doctor Who studios. This time she chatted with Pearl and Peter had been right – she was a lovely girl and watching him doing those scenes with Peter felt absolutely right for the show. The fans would love it. Steven was always close by as well, watching like a hawk over his last series, obviously determined to make it good. She talked to him for a while, to several people from the costume and make up department, drank coffee, until eventually the crew decided to call it a night and she waited outside in the freezing cold until Peter emerged from the studios.  
“Sorry, took a bit. Got a call from Elaine asking whether I'll be home next weekend,” he apologized quickly and they made their way towards his car.  
“And will you?”  
“I, erm, I don't think so,” he said and Jenna was about to ask why when he went on, “Couldn't finish the shot on Monday due to bad weather, I overslept today – threw us a little behind schedule.”  
“I see,” she replied and decided to ignore the hastily spoken explanation.  
“Hey, do you want to go to a restaurant or cook at home?” Peter asked her after a moment, “I don't want to exaggerate, but I'm starving.”  
Jenna shrugged. She wasn't so very hungry yet but she knew how Peter could be if he wasn't fed properly. “You pick. I'll have what you're having.”  
“Omelette then?”  
She looked up at him and smiled. “Omelette is fine.”

She felt glad that things between them finally seemed to have returned to normal. There was no more awkwardness, no weird silences. They were Peter and Jenna again, just like in the old times.  
He wouldn't let her anywhere near the oven as he prepared their dinner, saying that she was his guest and that he would take care of her, so Jenna opened a bottle of wine and roamed the flat while he cooked, once more spying the pictures of them together that hung on his wall. She would have to ask him for copies of those at some point.  
“You didn't even get to take your bath yesterday. Want to catch up on that while I do the dishes?” Peter suggested when they had almost finished their dinner.  
Jenna cocked an eyebrow at him. “You are being suspiciously nice, Peter. What's up with that?”  
“I'm always nice,” he replied, sounding a little offended, “At least I try to be. And you did drive here all the way from London, the least I can do is treat you a little.”  
“Spoil me, more like it,” Jenna teased him with a smile but eventually shrugged, “I'll take it.”

Jenna was sure that not even 15 minutes had passed after she had slipped into the warm bubbles when suddenly there was a knock on the bathroom door.  
“Can I come in? I've got something for you.”  
“Sure,” Jenna replied and soon after the door opened and Peter stepped inside, carrying her wine glass in one hand and a bowl in the other.  
“I made pudding. Thought you might like some,” he explained and put glass and bowl down on the rim of the bathtub.  
Jenna eyed him curiously. “Okay. Dinner, bath, dessert and wine in the tub. This is more than your usual level of nice.”  
“Damn,” he grinned at her, “I was about to offer you a massage on top of that.”  
Jenna looked at him, her smile slowly fading from her lips. “Peter, seriously, what's going on?”  
“I,” he paused, his gaze wandering to some point next to his feet, “I just wanted to say thank you. Last night, that was-” Peter broke off, suddenly laughing as he looked at her. “Amazing. It was amazing. I can't think of any other word to describe it, Jenna, and I am so grateful that you. . . that you did this with me.”  
Now it was her turn to laugh. “Silly thing,” Jenna teased as she reached out of the tub to take his hand, “It was just as amazing for me. You don't have to repay me. In fact, you did that a couple of times last night.”  
A silence fell over the two of them and suddenly Jenna became increasingly aware of the way Peter looked at her. His gaze was so full of love and gratitude as he smiled at her and slowly but surely she noticed him bending forward. There was that prickle between her legs that she had felt last night under the shower, under his gaze, right before he had kissed her. Peter was about to kiss her again, Jenna knew it, and a part of her wanted nothing more than to just lean in to him, to just let it happen, to have him climb into the bathtub with her. All of that was going to happen if she let him kiss her. Luckily she came back to her sense in time. 

Jenna pulled her hand away and smiled at him. “I appreciate the pudding and wine though,” she said abruptly and reached for the glass, taking a large gulp to hide her nervousness. Peter straightened his back again, the emotion on his face unreadable for a moment.  
“I'll leave you to your bath,” he said. And he did.  
Jenna leaned back into the tub and exhaled sharply. No more temptations.


	8. A Big Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the sweet comment :) Someone asked for trouble? Well, here it is.

Peter retreated to the couch and switched on an episode of Classic Who. Something with Cybermen. He wasn't actually paying any attention at all. His mind was with Jenna the whole time. Jenna, just one room down the hall, in the tub. He had wanted so much just to kiss her even though he knew he shouldn't. Thank God she had stopped him. Now Peter knew for certain that he wasn't the type for one night stands, or even a two night stand. He loved Jenna, always had, but this new layer to their relationship was confusing him and he didn't quite know where the line was anymore. And if he was completely honest, he didn't want there to be any line at all. Maybe he would even regret it eventually, but he wasn't at that point yet.  
When the bathroom door opened, Peter immediately scooted over to make room for Jenna so she could join him on the sofa, but instead of looking at the screen her eyes remained fixed on him to the point that he was starting to feel nervous.  
“Can I ask you a personal question?”  
Peter cleared his throat. “If this is about a thing I said. . . or did-”  
“No,” Jenna granted him a smile, “Nothing like that. And you don't have to answer me if you don't want to. I'm just curious.”  
He arched his eyebrows at her. “Well?”  
“What exactly did Elaine say to you?” Jenna asked him, “I mean, I'm trying to imagine it, but I just can't picture how you would tell your partner to sleep with someone else. I know you guys are amazingly close and open, but it's not so common. Sorry. I'm really just curious.”  
Peter blew the air out between his teeth. “She's been saying that for 15 years. I don't actually remember how it started.”  
Suddenly Jenna gawked at him. “It took you 15 years? Most men would have jumped at the opportunity.”  
He laughed a little shyly. “Well, I didn't really plan on doing it at all. I just-,” he shrugged, “It just happened. Trust me, when Elaine told me to pick up a fangirl or two I was about to call her crazy.”  
Jenna's face changed and Peter didn't quite understand why it did and where the seriousness and the frown had come from all of a sudden.  
“Something wrong?”  
“Peter, what exactly did Elaine say? What were her _exact_ words?”  
“It's been months, Jenna!”  
“Peter,” she said a little too harshly, “This is important!”  
He inhaled sharply, trying to recall their latest conversation about that particular topic. They had been in bed, reading. “I really don't know, Jenna, she just said that since she had stepped out on me twice during our marriage I could get even if I wanted to. She said that since I was Doctor Who now the fangirls would be lining up to sleep with me, which is utter rubbish if you ask m-”  
“Oh my God,” Jenna uttered, looking a little frantic as she rose from her seat to pace the room. Her behaviour was beginning to worry him.  
“Jenna, what the hell is going on? Why are you so agitated all of a sudden?” Peter laughed a little nervously. He had no idea what was happening.  
“Elaine didn't sanction _this_!” Jenna exclaimed, making a waving gesture between the two of them.  
“What?” he scoffed, “Of course she did. She said so repeatedly.”  
Finally Jenna stood still, looking straight at him. “Did you tell her about our first time?”  
Peter was taken aback. He hadn't, but he would tell her. Eventually. “No, but-”  
“Peter,” she took a deep breath, “This is a woman thing, so to you it might seem utterly crazy, but Elaine told you to pick a fangirl. Someone who meant nothing to you. A casual thing. This is different! She didn't allow you to sleep with your best friend!”  
The frown on his forehead only deepened. “Elaine knows I wouldn't do that. We've been married for ages, for God's sake, she knows I'm not the type!”  
“Then maybe she only suggested it because she knew you would never actually do it!”

It was then that it hit him and Peter could feel the nausea creep up inside of him. All the butterflies. All these lovely feelings. Gone. Jenna was right. Elaine hadn't given him permission to sleep with Jenna, his friend, whom he cared about. And why on earth would she do such a thing? A random stranger he would never see again, yes, but not Jenna. He was bound to get involved emotionally and that was exactly what had happened. He had slept with Jenna and he had fallen for her. His wife, however loving and trusting, would never have allowed that.   
“Peter,” Jenna said quietly, her voice almost a whisper, “I think we made a very big mistake.”  
Yes. They had.  
“I'm so sorry. This is all my fault,” she uttered, “I should have asked earlier. I should have said no from the beginning. I knew you were married. I-”  
“Jenna,” Peter rose from the sofa to try and calm her down. They would fix it. Somehow. It had to be fixed.  
“I should go.”  
Peter caught hold of her arm before she had the chance to leave the room and he pulled her back, looking straight at her. His thoughts were a complete mess right now and he needed time to figure it all out. Until then he couldn't let her leave.  
“Jenna, calm down. It's not your fault. If anything it's mine. And you're not going anywhere. Not tonight,” he said quietly, still holding her arm, “I'm not gonna let you drive all the way back to England now. It's dark, you've had wine and you're an absolute mess right at the moment.”  
Just when Peter thought he had overdone it with the last remark Jenna finally cracked a smile.  
“Right back at you,” she gave a short, sad laugh and Peter couldn't help it. He pulled her closer and laid his arms around her in a long hug.   
Jenna nestled her face against his chest, breathing in deeply, and they remained in their embrace for a long time. Somehow it could be fixed. He just had to think of something. He wouldn't lose Elaine. And he wouldn't lose Jenna either.   
“Oh Jenna,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.  
“What are you going to do?” she mumbled against the fabric of his shirt.  
“I don't know yet, but it's going to be fine,” he replied after a moment of hesitation.  
“I'll drive back tomorrow morning,” Jenna let go of their hug to look at him and he could see the determination on her face, “You can call me again once the dust has settled. If you want to.”  
“Of course I'll call you,” Peter confirmed. There was no way he would let this ruin their friendship. No matter what happened.  
“Good,” Jenna nodded towards the telly, “Shall we finish the episode?”

Together they sank back down on the sofa, Peter on one end, Jenna on the other and the episode flew by without him paying much attention at all. Instead he was wrecking his brain for a solution to their problem, yet he could only come up with one.


	9. Handling It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so, so much for the sweet comment! I'm glad you are enjoying the story :)

Peter pinned her down into the sheets, laughing as he hovered above her and knowing full well that she craved his touch more than anything right now.  
“Stop teasing,” Jenna begged and lifted her hips up to feel him.  
“God, you're impatient tonight,” Peter growled before he bent down and kissed her hungrily, his touch sending sparks straight to the centre of her arousal. She wanted, no, _needed_ him.  
“Oh Peter,” she gasped for air when they broke apart and his erection brushed against her entrance.

Then the ringing of the phone rudely tore her out of her dream.

Jenna groaned when she woke up, immediately feeling how her arousal gave way to frustration. Almost four weeks had passed again since Cardiff and even though their contact had been limited to text messages, asking how the other was, what they were up to, things had only grown worse for Jenna. She had left Cardiff knowing she would never again be with Peter like that and she had been fine with it, but as the days had passed Jenna had started to miss him, miss _it_. His kisses, the gentle caress of his hands, the feeling of him entering her. She missed all of that.   
He had texted her just a few days after her departure and they had stayed in contact since, keenly avoiding to touch the subject of their intimacy. At first Jenna had been relieved that they had both decided to handle it like adults. Then the dreams had started and with them had come a sense of loss and a craving to repeat it. 

Jenna brushed the thought aside and reached for her phone. “Mh?” she asked, her voice coming out more like a moan than anything else. She quickly cleared her throat.  
“Hey,” came a reluctant voice from the other end. Peter. “Sorry, did I wake you?”  
Instantly Jenna scrambled into a sitting position, her heart pounding at the sound of his voice and her limbs feeling sort of tingly. Damn. It didn't use to be like this with him. She somehow had to get herself under control.  
“I'd be a liar if I said no,” she replied eventually, “But it's okay. Shouldn't waste my day off in bed anyway.”  
A silence spread between the two of them that Jenna decided to end as soon as possible. “Are you in Cardiff or London?”  
“Uhm, London,” Peter replied in a low voice, “I wanted to ask what you're doing today. Thought we could. . . you know, have a coffee.”  
Jenna took a deep breath. She missed him a lot, but she wasn't sure whether it was actually a good idea, given the emotional state she was currently in. Then again, Peter would have spoken to his wife about it by now and since he wanted to meet her everything should be fine, shouldn't it? Peter knew what he was doing.  
“Have you spoken to Elaine?” Jenna asked, just wanting to make sure, “About us, I mean.”  
Another pause. “Yeah,” Peter cleared his throat, “Yeah, I have.”  
“And what did she say? She's fine with us still hanging out?” she gawked at the phone. This woman was amazing.  
“You were right. You weren't exactly the person Elaine had had in mind for that, but she's. . . she's okay. She knows it was just these two times and that it's not gonna happen again. Still, probably best not to mention it around her for now.”  
“Yeah, of course not,” Jenna replied immediately, “Still, that's amazing. You have an amazing wife.”  
Saying these words hurt her more than she would have liked to admit and she truly hoped that Peter couldn't hear the strange undertone in her voice that she just couldn't suppress.  
“So, what do do you say? Fancy a large cup of coffee with your name misspelled on it?” he laughed.  
Jenna considered it for a moment. And then made a decision she would surely come to regret. “I think I have a better idea. I've gotten the first two episodes of Victoria, all done and finished. Would you like to watch them with me? I could come over to your place and-”  
“Actually, could we make it yours?” he asked and somehow Jenna got the impression that he was slightly nervous.  
“Elaine doesn't want me there just yet,” Jenna realized.  
“No, it's not that. The girls have started taking Cissy's room apart for redecoration. The house is a mess.”  
Jenna shrugged. “Okay, my place it is. Just give me an hour to make the living room a habitable place.”  
“I will,” Peter said with a chuckle, “See you in a bit.”  
“See you.”

* * *

Peter hung up and sank back into the chair with a smile. In just an hour he would see her again and his heart was jumping with joy at the thought of it. Yet there was this one voice inside his head that he couldn't quite drown out. The voice that told him he should stop the thought about Jenna lying in bed, stop the memories of what it had felt like to touch her, to kiss her. That voice told him he should gather up the courage to do the right thing and yet he couldn't, because he had no idea what the right thing was anymore.  
Peter rose from his seat in the kitchen and reached for his coat before he headed out into the living room where Elaine was reading a book with the telly running in the background.  
“You're going out?” she gawked at him, “Peter, you've barely spent a few hours in this house!”  
He gave her an apologetic smile before he bent down to place a soft kiss on her head. “Sorry, but there's a few errands I want to run and maybe take a few pictures while I'm out. I'll be back in a couple hours.”  
Peter turned around and was about to reach for his camera when Elaine's voice held him back once more.  
“Is everything alright with you?” she asked, her voice dead serious.  
He turned to look at her again and tried to keep a straight face. “Why are you asking?”  
“Because this is the first time you've come home in over a month and I thought we could spend it together and yet here you are, rushing off as soon as you have arrived,” Elaine said accusingly, “And I think Cissy assumed the same thing, otherwise she wouldn't have come home.”  
“Cissy is still asleep and you were reading. I'm really just running a few errands and then I'll be back,” Peter said and he hated himself just a little as he was speaking these words. If Elaine knew where he was going she probably wouldn't look so calm right now.  
“Alright,” she finally agreed with a light smile, “Go run your errands and play with your camera.”  
“Love you,” Peter said hastily, grabbed his camera and headed out of the house before he had to say or listen to anything else. 

When he made his way down the street to where he had parked his car he realized what a complete mess he had made of his life. For decades he had been the picture book husband and now here he was, in his late 50s, cheating, lying and rushing off to see the younger woman with whom he was secretly in love. He had promised Jenna he would handle it, but here he was, not handling it at all.


	10. Flirting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwwwww <3 Thank you guys so, so much for the sweet comments. It makes me so happy to know that you're enjoying this story. But you asked for trouble and here they are, heading straight into it:

Peter almost bounced into the little café, eager to quickly buy some coffee when he was faced with an impossible decision: the food. What should he bring Jenna? If he had woken her she probably hadn't had breakfast yet. Something sweet? Savoury? Peter couldn't decide and that was why he ended up ordering two large coffees, some bagels, croissants, donuts, muffins and several kinds of biscuits. He was just about to whip out his wallet and pay when his eyes fell on the newspaper stand right next to him. Normally he hardly paid any attention to the yellow press at all but the familiar face on the front caught his attention.

**Victoria Star Jenna Coleman Dating On-Screen Husband Tom Hughes**

Peter's heart suddenly seemed to sink into his boots as he stared at the words in front of him. If Jenna was dating her colleague, why had she never mentioned it with a single syllable? She usually talked to him about the men in her life, whether she dated them or not, and he knew that Tom had been a friend to her for years. But what if that friendship had turned into more? Like it had for the two of them? And if these headlines were rubbish Jenna would have mentioned it as well. They always made fun of the press for their ridiculous rumours. So why hadn't she sad a thing?  
“That would be £17,94,” the cashier said and finally Peter was torn out of his nightmare.  
Not so very bouncy anymore Peter left the shop with more food than they could possibly eat and headed back to his car, the newspaper's headline not leaving him until he had arrived at her doorstep.

* * *

Jenna checked her look in the mirror for the 5th time and ruffled her hair before taking a deep breath. There was nothing to worry about. It was only Peter. Had she cleaned out the sink? God, she was going crazy just because a friend was visiting her at her house. A friend she had slept with, twice, even though he was married.  
“Damn Jenna,” she said to her own reflection right before the doorbell rang, “Okay, you can do this. You just have to get back into your old routine. That's all.”  
The bell rang again and Jenna threw her reflection one last glance before she headed to answer the door. Peter was smiling at her, holding up two large cups of coffee and a bag that she strongly suspected contained breakfast food.  
“Food and drinks for our Queen,” he joked and made a bowing gesture.  
“Stop it, Peter,” Jenna laughed at him, “You'll only throw your back out.”  
Peter came back up, throwing a slightly hurt expression in her direction. “Methinks our Queen is not amused today.”  
“Oh yes, very amused. By you,” she took the paper bag from out of his hands and was surprised at how heavy it was. A quick glance inside confirmed her suspicion. “Peter, who is supposed to eat all of that? This feeds an entire crew!”  
“No,” he growled and instantly snatched the paper bag back, “This only feeds me now because you are mean.”  
Jenna gawked at him as he made his way past her into the living room and instantly sank down on the sofa to go through the various contents of the paper bag. For a moment she just felt like laughing because Jenna had been so worried and nervous about seeing him again and he just made it incredibly easy for her. He was just being Peter, sweet, caring, considerate Peter, he was being her pal, her old friend. All of her doubts were blown away and she was sure that they would manage to get their friendship back on track.

Jenna fetched some knives, plates, butter and jam from the kitchen before she walked back into the living room where Peter was already munching the first muffin. She gave him her best puppy dog eyes when she sat down.  
“Please, can I have something, too? I promise I'll stop teasing.”  
“You never stop teasing.”  
Jenna gave him a small frown. “True. Can I still have some?”  
Peter smiled and held the bag in her direction from which Jenna quickly grabbed a donut. “So Elaine's entirely okay with this, yeah?”  
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, she is. What a woman, eh? But what about you?” strangely he didn't look at her, “Any news in that department?”  
Jenna snorted. “And where would I meet someone? I've either been shooting Victoria or hanging out with you. Or sleeping. I mean, sleeping as in actual sleep,” she swiftly corrected herself, “Not sleeping with you. Obviously. Well, yeah, but. . . God, that came out really wrong.”  
“Jenna-” Peter looked at her and suddenly Jenna was scared what he was about to say. With one simple sentence she had ruined it again.  
“No,” she interrupted him hastily, “Let's just forget that last bit, erase it from memory. We were doing so well.”  
“Alright,” Peter replied in a serious tone but then all of a sudden a smile spread over his face as he snatched up the bag with their breakfast food again and held it up in the air, “But no more donuts for you. As punishment.”  
“Oi!” Jenna gawked at him and was about to launch forward to fight for her food when she realized the situation in which that would bring her. Without doubt she would land right on top of him, their bodies touching in more than just one place and suddenly Jenna realized that that was exactly what Peter was aiming at. He was _flirting_ with her. Peter, her friend, was flirting and rather clumsily at that. And it was her choice to go along or leave it be.  
Even though Jenna knew she shouldn't she eventually launched at him in an attempt to reach for the paper bag and, just as she had expected, they both toppled over and landed flat on the sofa, Peter on his back and Jenna right on top of him. He was grinning at her.  
“Do you surrender?” Jenna asked him teasingly.  
“Never,” Peter giggled when she tickled his sides and he was beginning to wriggle under her.  
It was harmless enough, Jenna figured, just two old friends teasing each other. She brushed the thought aside that maybe their bodies were pressed a little too closely together, that maybe Peter held onto her a little too tightly, because if she was perfectly honest, she was enjoying it and she had missed it.  
Then suddenly Peter flipped them both over and Jenna felt like she was caught up in one of her recent dreams when the goofy grin on his face turned into a sincere, almost dreamy smile. Their lips were only inches apart and every cell in her body wanted him to kiss her right now, wanted to repeat that damned day in Cardiff and yet her mind told her that it was wrong. That anything beyond this was nothing Elaine had allowed.  
“Peter,” she said just as he was about to bent down, “I think we should start watching the show now.”  
For a moment he didn't move at all, then she could hear him sigh in defeat before he pushed himself back up into a sitting position. Already Jenna was beginning to regret her decision to stop him, missing the warmth of his body on top of her own.  
To erase that thought from her mind Jenna bent forward and opened her laptop, starting the first episode of “Victoria” before she was tempted to do something stupid. When she leaned back there was Peter's arm to welcome her and she nestled her head against his chest while he held on to her shoulder. That was it and no further.  
“That's a lovely nightgown,” Peter chuckled upon watching the first couple of scenes, “Perfect attire for receiving guests.”  
“Shut up and watch the show,” she giggled in response and leaned back into his embrace.


	11. Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments, guys :) After cute and fluffy, what could possibly happen?

Jenna turned around in front of the mirror, grinning like a mad idiot while the skirt of her dress moved around her. That was just another point on her list of things she loved about her job: wearing the latest designer dresses without even having to pay for them and feeling like a true princess.  
“Like it?” her stylist asked from behind her.  
“Love it!” Jenna exclaimed happily but stopped in front of the mirror, eyeing the dress a little more closely now, “But isn't it a bit see-through?”  
“Not at all,” Rebecca told her calmly.  
Still Jenna frowned at her own reflection. “Are you sure? I don't want to look cheap, this is a classy event.”  
“Trust me, with the light at the gallery no one's gonna notice.”  
Jenna sighed and took another look, still not entirely convinced when suddenly her phone started ringing. Upon checking her display her heart suddenly skipped a little beat.  
“Uhm, Becca, excuse me for a moment, will you?” she said, grabbed her phone and headed into the adjoining bathroom before she answered. “Hey Peter, what's up?”  
“Hey,” he replied enthusiastically while she sat down on the rim of her bathtub, “You said you were back in London again this weekend. I was wondering if you want to hang out.”  
She didn't. Not really. Not yet. Their last encounter had left her in a great confusion about her feelings for him and she had thought it might me better to just communicate through calls and texts for a while. Besides, she didn't even have time.  
“Sorry Peter,” Jenna replied after a moment, dangling her feet in the air, “But I have this gallery event to attend. Boring business, really.”  
“Oh, I wouldn't say that,” he replied and she could hear his laugh on the other end of the line.  
“Well, not for you. You love art. You know everything about art. I'm just part of the décor.”  
Peter laughed at her for that. “No, you just need someone to talk to about it. That's all.”  
And they kept on chatting for a while about where she would be going and what the exhibition would be about before her stylist was knocking on the door, reminding her that the taxi wouldn't wait forever.  
“Sorry, I have to go,” Jenna told him even though she would have loved to stay on the phone with him a little longer. She had almost thrown her own worries over board and asked what he would be doing the following day, but then luckily decided against it.  
“Oh, okay,” Peter sounded a little disappointed. Oh, this was getting way too complicated for her taste, “Any idea when I will see you again?”  
Jenna opened her mouth and once more the temptation was there. He was tempting her. “I'll call you next time I'm in the city,” she said and hung up before she could change her mind. She couldn't see him now. If she did she might not have the strength to resist another temptation.

Jenna took a deep breath and lifted herself up from the rim of the tub. Gallery event. She could do that and not think about Peter the entire time.

* * *

Peter stared at the phone for a long moment after Jenna had hung up on him. He shouldn't. He really shouldn't. Then again, he shouldn't have slept with one of his best friends in the first place because Peter had somehow known that he would get caught up. He couldn't do meaningless sex and with Jenna it had never been meaningless. Now he was utterly torn between his wife, whom he had loved since he could remember, and Jenna, whom he also loved in a new and exciting manner and there was this urge to spend time with her, to see her, to touch and kiss her that he just couldn't get rid of. As long as they didn't let it go too far, how wrong could that possibly be? Peter had spent a lot of time with Jenna before. Why should it be different now?  
Remembering that Elaine had gone to bed with a rather nasty migraine just ten minutes ago, Peter made a decision. He walked into the bathroom, showered, shaved and then selected one of his best suits out of his wardrobe. A blue one? No, the black, checked suit would be a good thing to wear.  
“Peter?” Elaine croaked sleepily.  
“Go back to sleep,” Peter said quietly, “I just need some clothes.”  
“Why? You going out?”  
“Just to a gallery. There's an interesting exhibition. Now go back to sleep,” he told her. It was innocent. Nothing could possibly happen at a public event, but at least he could see Jenna, if only for a moment. Elaine wouldn't mind.  
“Fine,” Elaine mumbled and turned around, pulling the duvet over her head as he left the room.

An hour later Peter made his way into the gallery, but not without being greeted by a couple of Doctor Who fans who asked him for a selfie. The further he walked into the room the more nervous he seemed to grow, his heart beating fast and his palms feeling just a little damp. Jenna would be happy to see him, right? This was a nice surprise?  
The finally he spotted her. God, she looked beautiful, as always, wearing a long, flowing gown that he simply couldn't help but notice even with her tiny figure. And she was alone, just looking at one of the paintings as if lost in thought.  
Peter gathered up his courage and approached her, clearing his throat when he was standing right behind Jenna. She turned around – and gawked at him in disbelief.  
“Peter!”  
“Hi Jenna,” he smiled at her but to his surprise she didn't seem entirely thrilled to see him.  
“What on earth are you doing here tonight?!”  
“I, erm,” her harsh voice had caught him a little off guard, “I came to see the exhibition. And you. Thought you might like someone to talk to about the art.”  
Suddenly Jenna grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the paintings and into a quiet corner. She seemed mad and Peter, who had been so looking forward to seeing her again, couldn't quite understand why.  
“You can't be here!” Jenna hissed at him, “There's press here tonight. What will they think if they see us together? If they see _you_ here?!”  
Peter let out a nervous laugh. “Jenna, what's the matter? No one's going to think anything. The press knows I love art and they know that we're friends.”  
“Oh, you came here as _just my friend_ then?” She raised her eyebrows at him and for a moment Peter was lost for words. No. He hadn't come here as her friend. Not entirely. They hadn't been just friends since America.  
Jenna let out a heavy sigh and looked around, Peter following her gaze. He had been right. No one was paying any attention to them at all. Then Jenna once more dragged him off, this time into a room in the back that was probably meant to keep the celebrity guest's cloaks and bags. Once they were alone a heavy silence fell between the two of them that unsettled Peter to the point that he was beginning to stare at his shoes.  
“Well?” Jenna asked once more.  
He took a deep, long breath. “I don't know. I just wanted to see you.”  
“Peter, we can't do this. Elaine-”  
“Why not?” he interrupted her before the subject of his wife came up once more. He couldn't talk about her to Jenna. “We used to do this sort of thing all the time.”  
“Yeah, but it's different now and you know it!” she said accusingly, “Things have changed since. . . since America. We can't keep seeing each other like this.”  
“Why? Does your boyfriend get jealous?!” Peter spat and instantly cursed his mouth for being quicker than his brain. _He_ was the one who was jealous of her new co-star who seemed to be sharing a lot more with Jenna than just on-screen kisses. Yet Peter knew he couldn't compete with a young, good looking man, not for Jenna. But he hadn't meant to bring it up, not until Jenna had told him.  
“My _what_ now?”  
Peter groaned. This was getting ridiculous and he knew it. He was old enough to be her father and married and here he was, chasing after Jenna like a lovesick puppy when she clearly wasn't interested as her reaction showed rather plainly. “Tom. Your boyfriend.”  
“What?!” Jenna asked in disbelief, sounding more than a little mad at him, “Tom isn't my boyfriend! Where the hell did you get that from?”  
For a moment Peter couldn't even reply. If Tom wasn't her boyfriend at all. . .  
“Peter, I'm serious,” she said calmly now, “I need a bit of space. And I think so do you. We both seem to have feelings that we shouldn't have and just pretending they don't exist doesn't make them go away.”  
“You?” he spluttered, “You have feelings?”  
“Yes, you idiot! And you showing up here doesn't exactly help!”  
If there was no one else in her life that he had to compete with, if Jenna had feelings for him as well. . .  
Peter didn't listen to what Jenna was saying anymore. Instead he approached her carefully, closing the distance between them before he bent down – and hesitated. Jenna was still mad, but he saw some of that anger fade from her face as he stepped closer. Could he really? Could he kiss her? Would she let him?  
Then Jenna looked away for one, brief moment, obviously trying to gather her thoughts.  
“Oh, sod it!” she suddenly exclaimed and then everything happened so fast.  
The next thing he knew was that Jenna had reached for the lapels of his jacket and pulled him down for a kiss.


	12. Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awww, thank you so much for the sweet comments, guys :)

Jenna regretted her decision to kiss him and yet at the same time she didn't. Peter was so gentle, so careful, taking her face in both his hands while their lips met and Jenna let herself fall against his chest. He tasted of spearmint as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and Jenna almost giggled. Had she showered _and_ brushed his teeth before he had come to see her? What a romantic idiot!  
But now that they had started this again Jenna didn't want it to stop at all and that was very, very wrong. She had missed him so much, longed for the feeling of his lips on hers, for the feeling of his body pressed against her own. She went up on tiptoes, hooking her arms around his neck as their kiss deepened, and she knew she was screwed. What woman could really resist a man like Peter, a first class gentleman, sweet and funny and always considerate. Elaine was the luckiest woman on earth – except that she wasn't because her once perfect husband was now kissing Jenna in the back of an art gallery when someone could walk in on them any second now.  
That was what finally made her pull away, only to see Peter look down at her, his eyes hooded and utterly mesmerized. He looked at her so lovingly that it almost tore her heart out.  
“We should probably stop now,” she said quietly and without much determination when she realized he was still holding her against his chest.  
“I don't want to, Jenna,” he admitted, “Let's go somewhere else. Anywhere.”  
Jenna scoffed. “We can't, Peter. The gallery event.”  
“Right,” he exhaled sharply, obviously having forgotten about that until a moment ago, “Let's go look at some art then.”

Jenna knew that there was no way to get rid of him now and, if she was perfectly honest, she wanted him to stay as well. At least it wouldn't be as boring as it had been before his arrival. She let Peter lead her around the room and talk about the pieces that interested him while he complimented the brush strokes and Jenna just stood there, not really understanding a thing. To be fair, she was also very much distracted by his hand on her lower back, an innocent gesture and yet enough to occupy her thoughts, enough to make her wish it was more than just that.  
The press eventually found them, took pictures and Peter gave them a long interview about how he hadn't seen his _friend_ Jenna for a while as both of them were busy doing their work and she found herself blushing when he continued to praise her work just like he always did. If Peter was single there was no way she would ever let a man like him go.

“Did you get here with a taxi or your own car?” Jenna asked once they had gone back into the cloakroom to pick up her coat and bag.  
“Uhm, my own. Why?” Peter asked back.  
Jenna shrugged. “Just wondering whether I have to call for a car or you could give me a lift to my place?” she granted him her best smile. It probably wasn't the smartest idea, but at least she didn't have to wait and she would get to spend a few more moments alone with him.  
“Consider me your taxi,” he replied and suddenly his mouth curled into a broad smile, “Or royal carriage, cause that's what you seem to be taking these days.”  
Jenna giggled. “Oh, shut up, you!”  
They both got into his car and on their way to her house Peter went on and on about how lovely some of the art had been and how glad he was to have come to see her tonight.  
“I'm glad you came, too,” she admitted and smiled to herself. God, if he was single Jenna really wouldn't let him go, perfect as he was. But as it was. . .  
“And your royal carriage has arrived, my lady,” he teased but Jenna wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. Who knew when she would see him again?  
“Peter, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?” she asked before her conscience got the better of her.  
He raised his eyebrows, obviously surprised by her questions but just moments later a smile spread over his face. “Yes. I'd love to.”

Jenna locked the door behind them and took a deep breath. It was wrong and she knew it but when Peter took her hand and they both fell down on the sofa, lips locked and limbs tangled, she decided that maybe her guilty conscience could be kissed away.

* * *

When Peter woke up the following morning the bed next to him was empty and he felt a pang of guilt over what had happened last night, even though nothing had happened except for a lot of kissing and maybe a little bit of undressing, on top of the guilt he was already feeling. In Cardiff he could live with it. Elaine wasn't there and he had Doctor Who to distract him but at home he felt increasingly unwelcome. Not because of Elaine, but because of himself and what he struggled to come to terms with. He wanted Jenna and, as last night had proven, she wanted him too, crazy as it seemed. When he closed his eyes he could still feel her kisses burning on his lips and her touch on his skin that had almost driven him mad with desire. He wasn't used to feeling like that anymore and maybe that was all there was to it, the temptation of something new. Maybe it would fade over time.  
Peter groaned when he realized just what kind of lie he was trying to tell himself. He loved Jenna, always had. And this love that had once given him so much joy was beginning to eat away on him because no matter what happened from here, it couldn't end well.

Knowing that he couldn't waste the entire day in bed Peter eventually got up, reached for his morning robe and followed the smell of coffee downstairs until he spotted Elaine at the breakfast table, sipping from her cup and reading a newspaper.  
“Good morning,” he said huskily and opened the cupboard to reach for a mug, “How's the migraine?”  
“Better,” Elaine responded half-heartedly, her nose still buried in the papers and Peter guessed that was where her mind was, too. Then she turned the page. “Oh, you went to see Jenna last night.”  
“I, erm,” he spluttered. Of course it was in the newspaper. He had talked to the press last night. “Yeah. She was at this gallery thing. Decided to pay her a visit while I was here.”  
“You could have told me you went to see her,” Elaine said with a chuckle, “I had already started to think the two of you had fallen out or something.”  
“No,” Peter stood as still as he could. He hated the fact that they were talking about Jenna. That Elaine was talking about Jenna. “What made you think that?”  
She snorted. “You guys were all over each other for two whole years and you constantly met for coffee when you were both in town. But I haven't heard a mention of her since you two were at that convention in America. You know, the one I couldn't go to. I thought something had happened between the two of you.”  
“No,” Peter repeated and sank down on the kitchen chair, only to realize then that his coffee mug was still very much empty, “Nothing has happened. We were busy. Just spoke on the phone.”  
“I'm glad the two of you are okay. She's a lovely girl,” Elaine said sincerely and looked up at him while Peter tried his hardest to look her back in the eye. God, the guilt must surely be written all over his face. Fortunately for him Elaine gave up soon and her eyes went back to the newspaper. “She looks good. Playing Victoria must make her really happy.”  
“Yeah, it does,” Peter said absent-mindedly.  
“When are you leaving for Cardiff?”  
Peter raised his head only to find he still couldn't look Elaine in the eyes even after the topic had shifted to something else. “Uhm, not too late, I think. They've predicted torrents of rain for the afternoon.”  
“Okay,” was all Elaine said before she buried her nose in the papers once more and Peter was relieved when she fell silent. He knew that his life and his marriage were beginning to derail, but he just didn't have the courage to actually do something about it.


	13. For My Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the sweet comment :) Well, let's see how that goes for the two of them?

Jenna walked into her trailer, feeling exhausted and yet happy at the prospect of another chapter of her life being closed. Victoria was over and done with, at least for now. There had been talks about a second season, but the final decision would only come in after the first viewing figures, so now Jenna had a bit of time to unwind – and she more than deserved it after the hard work she had put into the new show. However when she stepped deeper into the trailer a surprise was waiting for her, taking the shape of an enormous bouquet of flowers that had surely cost a fortune and Jenna suspected only a handful of people behind it. She reached for the card and recognized his handwriting immediately 

_“For my Queen. I could not be prouder of you.”_

Jenna smiled to herself as she read the note and instantly reached for her phone to thank him. Peter was always so considerate, even remembering her on her last day of shooting Victoria when he was in the middle of filming himself.  
“It’s a wrap!” Jenna told him excitedly when he picked up the phone.  
“That is great news,” he said back and then changed the tone of his voice, trying very hard to sound casual, “Did you find something in your trailer?”  
Jenna giggled. “Yeah, quite curious. There was a huge bouquet of flowers and I have no idea who they could be from. I suspect Tom though, cause, you know, apparently we’re an item.”  
“Not funny,” Peter growled.  
Jenna smiled into the phone. “They are beautiful. Thank you so much.”  
“It was the least I could do. Wish I could’ve been there to see you. It was a big day for you.”  
Jenna hesitated, not really sure what to reply to that. Everything between the two of them had been strange, to say the least. Not awkward, just strange, and Jenna wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not because he was still married. But he was also making it incredibly hard for her not to enjoy the attention he paid her the entire time.  
Jenna couldn’t even say how it had started, but since that night at the gallery they had become a lot. . . more. He was calling almost every evening and if he didn’t have the time or Jenna couldn’t talk freely, he texted her, asking about her day, telling her he missed her and yet they never touched on the subject of their relationship. Not after they had spent hours just snogging on her sofa until their lips had felt numb. What the hell were they doing? Elaine had allowed him two transgressions, which Peter had used with her and his wife had forgiven him. At least that was what Peter had told her, even though Jenna could feel that there was something about it that he kept to himself. But somehow it seemed that they weren’t done yet, that they had started something neither was them was ready to close just yet.  
“Hey, how about I come to Cardiff and visit you?” Jenna suggested. She knew she shouldn’t go there, but she really, really wanted to. Just Cardiff and Peter, without the guilt and the worries. She’d sit at home and spend her time thinking about him anyway. “I have until the weekend.”  
“Jenna,” he paused but even under her name she could hear him smile, “Are you sure you want to go through the long drive? And what about the wrap party?”  
“Screw the wrap party. I’ve seen their faces every day for the past three weeks. I need a vacation, even if it’s just for a few days.”  
“Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you going on vacation in Italy next week? With your friends?” Peter chuckled.  
“I am,” Jenna confirmed, “I just thought I could start the vacation early. Or is this a bad time for you?”  
Suddenly Jenna wasn't so very sure Peter actually wanted her there. What if he was having seconds thoughts or he felt guilty about what had happened at the gallery over three weeks ago? Was she being too pushy?  
“No, not at all,” Peter replied instantly, “I just feel bad for making you drive all the way to Cardiff.”  
“Don't,” Jenna told him, “Like I said. It's vacation time for me.”  
“In that case I will start making dinner and draw you a nice, relaxing bath right now. I need to go to the grocery shop after work. What would you like to eat?”  
“Not so fast, I won't be there until evening,” she laughed. Yeah, that was the Peter she knew. “And don't you dare make a fuss over dinner. I'll take anything.”  
“Anything it is, then,” Peter replied and suddenly Jenna heard another voice on Peter's end of the line. “Uhm, Jenna, I'm afraid the Doctor is needed in front of the camera. I'll see you tonight?”  
“See you tonight,” she said into the phone, still smiling when Peter hung up. Oh, those damn butterflies in her stomach just wouldn't stop. Jenna knew exactly what would happen when she went to Cardiff and to be quite honest, she was counting on it, too, no matter the consequences.

* * *

Peter stuck his head into the oven once more, making sure that their dinner didn't burn. He was exhausted after a long day of shooting, but not as exhausted and hungry as Jenna would probably be when she arrived. So Peter had decided to give her the warmest welcome that was humanly possible: dinner in the oven, white wine and glasses ready, a selection of films he thought she might like. He had even bought a couple of bath supplements that Peter thought sounded girly enough: cinnamon, roses, strawberry. Peter had never stepped into that particular shop on Queen Street before, always thinking that Lush was a strange name to give to a company selling beauty products, but from his daughter he had learned that these colourful balls were apparently something young women liked these days. He had also prepared his own bedroom as well as the guest bedroom, not really sure which Jenna would choose to sleep in.  
What was he hoping she would choose? Peter honestly couldn't say. He still felt torn about that matter, so he would let her decide. 

When the doorbell rang Peter jumped away from the oven and went to greet Jenna with a large smile on his face. Jenna however dropped her bags on the floor upon seeing him and stumbled forward to hug him tightly.  
“I'm so tired, I'm not sure I'm not already asleep and sleepwalking,” she complained, her voice muffled against his shirt.  
“Ohhhh, poor Jenna,” Peter sighed and closed his arms around her. It felt so good just to hold her, so warm and familiar. “Come inside. Dinner will be ready in a minute.”  
He bent down to take her suitcases and followed Jenna into the kitchen where she instantly inspected the contents of the oven. Her face lit up when she saw what he had prepared.  
“Peter, what is that?” she asked him, pointing at the little fish shaped pastries in the oven.  
“It's sea brass. In puff pastry,” he explained and instantly went on to open the wine bottle for her.  
“It looks adorable,” she commented but when she turned to look at him her face was stern, “I told you not to make a fuss over dinner!”  
“It's your vacation, that's what you've said,” Peter repeated her words as he handed her a glass, “And that means you're getting spoiled.”  
Jenna granted him a smile, even if it was a tired one. Then she suddenly walked up to him, went up on tiptoes and pressed a long, soft kiss on his cheek that caused his heart to dance inside his chest. “Thank you.”

When the sea brass was done and they retreated into the living room Jenna didn't choose any of the movies he had pre-selected to Peter's surprise, instead she asked him to put on his favourite Doctor Who episode. Peter tried hard, but he failed to completely hide his excitement over having escaped some silly chick flick. Jenna kicked off her shoes and they ate their dinner with the third Doctor running in the background. He was beginning to feel his own tiredness creep up once more but with Jenna next to him it didn't seem quite as bad. Instead it felt cosy, homely to have her here and slowly drift off to sleep together.  
Peter leaned back against the sofa, only half aware of the episode that was on telly because Jenna had her head nestled against his chest and he had his arm wrapped her around her. It felt so sweet to hold her like that and the coconut scent from her hair was clouding his senses once more. Why couldn’t it just be easy? Why couldn’t he have met her thirty years ago? Well, he would have been holding a baby back then, a thought that seemed rather strange, so he pushed it aside. He just wanted to enjoy this moment he had with her and he wanted her to enjoy it, too. That was why he had made such an effort with dinner and everything else.  
"I’m gonna fall asleep if you keep that up,“ Jenna mumbled all of a sudden, making him realize that he had massaged her scalp for God knows how long.  
"Sorry. Do you want me to stop?“  
"Not really,“ she replied and shifted to look at him, "Let’s go to sleep, okay?“

They took turns brushing their teeth and Peter waited in the living room because he still wasn’t sure where Jenna wanted to sleep and by now he was sure that he really, really wished to fall asleep with her in his arms. Should he ask her into his bedroom? Would she mind? Wasn't that a pretty bad idea for the two of them?  
When Jenna stepped out of the bathroom she waved at him, looking more tired than ever in her striped pyjamas. "You coming or what?“ she asked and headed straight for his bedroom. Peter didn’t need a second invitation before he followed her, his heart skipping yet another beat when he climbed under the duvet next to her.  
Once he had found a comfortable position Jenna turned around in bed and wrapped her arms tightly around him, her head resting on his chest. "Goodnight Peter."  
"Goodnight Jenna,“ he whispered and killed the lights. Yes, that was exactly what he had been hoping for. Just him and Jenna in their bubble that was Cardiff where no one else mattered.


	14. The Sweetest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the sweet comments :) You wanted a kiss? I give you something better :)

Jenna was woken by the sound of the alarm, something that didn't seem to bother the man next to her in the slightest. Peter's arms were wrapped tightly around her, his stomach pressed against her back and the curve of her arse and it seemed as if he never wanted to let her go. They had slept like that all night, changing positions, but always entangled in some way or another. It was a wonderful way to wake up and yet. . . the alarm was beginning to bother her.  
“Peter?” she mumbled and gave him a nudge with her hips.  
“Mhpf,” was all he replied before he pulled her even closer.  
“Time to get up, Doctor. Some Daleks are waiting,” she chuckled softly.  
Suddenly he let go of her to turn around, but he only hit the snooze button of the alarm clock before his arm was back and Jenna could feel his lips on the skin of her neck, planting sleepy kisses all long her shoulders. Then she noticed something else. His morning wood rubbing against the cheeks of her arse.  
“They can have the galaxy,” Peter groaned, “If I get to keep you.”  
Jenna could feel his teeth scrape over her sensitive skin and she gave an involuntary moan. She couldn't quite explain why, but somehow it seemed easier when they were in Cardiff, somehow this city was a world of its own and their normal lives were far, far away – and that included his wife. She didn't exist. Not here. Not right now. When they were in Cardiff Peter belonged to her.  
Jenna turned around in his embrace and their lips clashed moments later in a sloppy, lazy kiss and she softly pushed him backwards until he landed on his back.  
“Let's just stay here all day,” Peter groaned when Jenna's hands started to find their way under his pyjama, but the alarm interrupted them once more.  
“Okay, five more minutes,” Jenna concluded and reached for the snooze button, “I can do that.”  
“Jenna, what have you planned?” he asked her sleepily but it seemed to dawn on him when she started tugging at his pyjama bottoms and Peter closed his eyes, moaning softly as she wrapped her hands around him. He was half erect already, but they only had five minutes, so Jenna decided to give it her best.  
She went to kneel between his legs and bent down, bringing her mouth to his cock and licking right along his shaft.  
“Mhhh,” he hummed, his hands finding their way to her head to guide her.  
Jenna could feel him push his hips in her direction when she started tending to his arousal and she instantly knew he had missed her in more than one way. Peter had missed their intimacy just like she had. He was so willing, so ready for her and once more Jenna remembered that the alarm would go off again soon, so she decided to go ahead.  
Peter hissed softly when she closed her lips around his tip and started sucking him into her mouth.  
“Jenna, you don't have to-,” he moaned, his grip tightening in her hair, “I can just-”  
He broke off when she tightened her lips around him, obviously changing his mind about the suggestion he had been about to make. Jenna didn't need a lot of imagination to know that he had wanted to suggest to take care of it by himself because he was Peter and he didn't want to take from her without giving back, but after last night it was most definitely her turn to give and there was nothing she would rather do at this moment than to bring him pleasure.  
His nails were digging into her scalp when Jenna let him glide out of her mouth and Peter seemed eager to plunge back inside. She could hear his breath fast and heavy now that he was fully erect and hard between her lips. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing as she took him in deeper, fighting the gag reflex when he hit the back of her throat. The moan that came over his lips was worth every bit of it, so needy, so carnal that it shot straight to her core and made her wish they had more time than just five minutes until the alarm disturbed them once again.  
“Please, keep going,” he begged her, panting, “You feel so good.”  
When Jenna increased her speed she could feel him thrust up carefully to meet her but even though he was trying to control himself in his arousal she knew that he was beginning to derail under her touch as she started to feel the salty taste on her tongue. She reached down to cup his balls in her hand, kneading them softly between her fingers, which earned her another moan.  
“Jenna, I-” he paused, his grip tightening in her hair when he groaned. Peter was so close, she could feel it already. He was trying to warn her, make her pull away if she wanted to, but nothing could make her stop now.  
She tightened her lips around him further even though they were already starting to feel numb and Peter's thrust came a little faster now as he was closing in on his climax. His entirely body grew rigid beneath her when he came, his movements stopped and just seconds later he released himself into her mouth with a throaty moan and Jenna swallowed around him right as the alarm went off once more.

Jenna settled in bed next to him, waiting for his breathing to return to normal when Peter suddenly turned around to look at her in the semi-darkness, smiling. “Thank you,” he uttered and he sounded happy. She was making him happy.  
Jenna giggled in response. “My pleasure.”  
“No, _your_ pleasure will follow tonight when I get back from work. God, you're amazing, Jenna,” he said and without warning he bent forward to kiss her.  
She parted her lips for him when his tongue trailed needily over her own and she could feel the tingling between her thighs that he had woken in her once more but now was not the time, she had to remind herself – and the alarm was helping with that.  
Jenna pulled away from him. “First you have to actually go to work,” she chuckled, “Get out of bed, lazy man.”  
Peter smiled. “My bed has a beautiful woman in it. At work all I've got are a bunch of rubber monsters.”  
She gave him a soft push. “Out. Work. Now.”  
“Fine,” he replied, groaning, and pecked her on the lips once more before he finally lifted the covers and climbed out of bed. While he left the bedroom to get ready Jenna curled up under the duvet once more, determined to get some more sleep.

* * *

Jenna hadn’t set any further alarm. This was her vacation, so instead she decided to sleep in for as long as she needed to. When the sun had moved around the windows and was beginning to shine right into her face Jenna checked the alarm clock. 10 am was a very good time to get out of bed and have a nice, long breakfast.  
She wrapped herself in Peter’s morning robe, smiling when she realized that his smell clung to it, and made her way into the kitchen where she was instantly met by another surprise. The table was already set, there was bread in the toaster and the coffee maker just needed one flick of a switch before it started brewing. There was also a little note pinned to it that read “Enjoy your breakfast” and Jenna smiled when she saw it. That was so typical of him. She helped herself to the jam in the fridge and sank down on one of the kitchen chairs with a sigh, munching her toast and sipping her coffee. It was perfect. Peter was perfect. Did he do this sort of thing for Elaine all of the time?  
When the realization struck her once more Jenna decided to ban the thought of his wife from her mind. Reality would catch up with them soon enough and they would have to pay for it, but right now, if she was completely honest with herself, Jenna just wanted to ignore the fact that he was a married man cheating on his wife. She just wanted him to belong to her for a little longer and in the end it was Peter's decision. He was the one cheating and he had decided to go through with it. Or maybe it was Elaine's fault for even suggesting it in the first place. It didn't matter, not right now. For now Jenna was dead set on enjoying it.

Another thing missing so far on her vacation was a bath, so after breakfast Jenna grabbed her phone and headed towards the bathroom, only to find it had changed since the last time she had been here and there were a few additional items on the shelf that she hadn't seen before. A selection of colourful bath bombs with another note, saying “I hope you like the scent and also that they won't actually detonate in my tub”. Now she could hardly hold back the laughter coming over her lips. Once in the colourful water, Jenna snapped a picture of it and sent it straight to Peter.

_You are the sweetest!_

After switching the phone to silent and closing her eyes Jenna leaned back in the tub and thought about something nice she could do for Peter in return.


	15. Caught

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so, so, so much for the amazing comments :D  
> You're scared of the angst, right? Okay, let's get it over with then. . .

When Peter returned from work he was surprised to find the windows of his flat dark and his confusion about it only grew when he stepped inside and all the lights had all been switched off. For a moment he was afraid that Jenna might have left already, but then he saw a flicker of light through the crack in the door.  
“Jenna?” he called out when suddenly a sharp pain shot through his foot and he cursed when he realized he had hit himself on something standing in the way.  
“Peter?” came a voice from the kitchen and a moment later the door opened to her silhouette against the candlelit background. “Did you hurt yourself?”  
“It's fine. Just a mean cabinet,” he hissed and squinted his eyes to look past her in the darkness, “Jenna, what are you doing with all these candles? Are we having a power cut?”  
“No, silly,” she giggled and waved at him to step inside, “I was doing something romantic.”

Still frowning curiously Peter followed her into the living room that was covered in tea lights and candles and he realized that Jenna had probably gone out and bought them all because he didn't remember stashing so many candles at all. Then his gaze fell on the table and their dinner on top of it and he had to hold back his laughter.  
“Don't laugh,” Jenna warned him, “I tried to cook, but it went hideously wrong, so I went out and got Chinese instead. The salad however is all mine. I made that and-”  
Peter didn't let her finish. There was something so utterly sweet about her trying to make an effort despite her cooking skills that he simply couldn't hold back from kissing her any longer. He approached her, pulled her closer to him and bent down to kiss her on the lips. Right now Peter was once again ready to say that he loved her because he did. He loved her so, so much that it made him smile against her lips.  
“You're laughing,” she grumbled in response when they parted.  
“Only because you're amazing,” he replied truthfully. _And because you are here with me now and I have no idea how I even deserve it._ Peter bent down to kiss her once more. There was nothing he wanted more right now than to taste her soft lips, feel her skin on his own. Too many layers of clothing between them. It was wrong but, by God, he loved her, crazy as it seemed. It was the easy thing to do, loving her, and Jenna seemed to have understood his notion immediately as she started tugging at his shirt. A thrill shot straight through him when he realized it was happening all over again, just him and Jenna and those moments of pure bliss when she was in his arms.  
She was careful to throw his shirt on the sofa, away from the candles, as he started pulling her in the direction of the bedroom, their lips never really parting for long. Slowly staggering backwards, Peter raised his hands to her buttons, undoing one after the other until he could feel her skin under his palm as her blouse slipped away, leaving her in only her bra. He instantly brought his lips down to her bare throat, kissing his way down until he could coax a moan from her. Her scent was utterly intoxicating, sweet and with a hint of that cinnamon bath supplement he had bought for her.  
“Jenna, darling,” he said in between kisses.  
“Yes?” Jenna's voice was nothing but a whisper as she pressed her body closer against his own.  
Peter came back up, closing his arms around her back to unhook her bra, smiling at her as it fell to the floor of the corridor. When was the last time he had undressed a woman while they were still trying to make their way to his bed? He couldn't remember but it had definitely been too long. That was the thing about Jenna. Everything about her felt so new, so exciting that he thought he was twenty once more and discovering it all for the first time. It was as if she had bewitched him in a way.  
“You're beautiful,” he said before he kissed her again and Jenna responded eagerly as she gave him a soft push towards the bedroom.

They fell right into the sheets, Jenna landing on top of him and straddling his lap before he even had time to gather his thoughts. Not that he wanted that anyway, Peter didn't want to think. Everything he wanted was right in front of him.  
Jenna bent down, cupping his face in her hands when she pressed their lips together once more and Peter started to feel the excitement course through him, sending his blood south and he could feel himself grow harder beneath his trousers.  
“What about dinner though?” Jenna asked him when she came up for air.  
“I'll eat it cold,” he replied and was about to pull her back down when all of a sudden the doorbell rang through the silence.

Both of them froze instantly and he saw his own fears reflected on Jenna's face.  
“Who's that?” she asked, whispering as if they could be heard from outside.  
Peter gave a soft shrug beneath her. “I don't know. A neighbour?”  
“Were we too loud?”  
He frowned as Jenna got off him and Peter slowly rose from his bed. “I don't think so. In any case, I'll tell them to go away,” he turned back around to face Jenna, now grinning at her, “Don't move! I'll be back before you know it.”  
Peter didn't bother putting his shirt back on as he made his way towards the door. Whoever it was, they could go to hell, especially after interrupting him at this moment but when the bell rang again and Peter tore the door open, ready to tell off whoever was in front of it, he stared straight into a familiar face.  
“Pearl!” he blurted out, unable to form any other kind of sentence because his entire brain just screamed one single word: fuck!  
Pearl. His colleague. His co-star. She was standing in front of his door and he was dressed only in his trousers. And Jenna was in his bedroom. Fuck!  
“Sorry, is this a bad timing?” she smiled at him, “I thought we could go over our lines again since you offered.”  
Yes, yes he had. He had done that. Before Jenna had come to Cardiff. He had to find a good excuse and he had to find it now.  
“I'm sorry, Pearl, really, tonight is just-”  
Peter broke off when he watched his colleague and followed her gaze that had suddenly dropped to the floor. He didn't even dare to turn around and check because he knew what he would find lying on the floor right in front of the door to the candlelit living room.  
But as he looked at Pearl now he saw an apologetic smile on her face. “Sorry, I didn't know your wife was in town,” she whispered.  
Peter had almost sighed in relief after she had spoken those words and he found the strength to smile back at her. “Yeah, it was a surprise for me, too,” he laughed nervously, “Sorry, but you really had a bit of bad timing tonight.”  
“Don't worry. It's fine,” Pearl replied sincerely before her lips curled upwards, giving her a mischievous look, “Have fun.”  
“Thanks,” he breathed and a moment later closed the door behind her.  
They were safe. For now.


	16. The Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comment :) Now, full steam ahead into the angst!

“I'm sorry,” Jenna mumbled after a long moment of silence. The mood had vanished for both of them after Pearl's surprise visit and they had retreated back into the living room, eating their dinner and not really talking much. Now that the food was gone they were just sitting on the sofa, shoulders touching, legs entangled and holding hands.  
“Jenna, really, there is nothing you have to apologize for,” Peter said sincerely and raised her hand to his lips, planting a soft kiss on her skin, “If anything it's my fault. Last week I suggested to Pearl that she could come over any time to go through our lines if she was struggling. I had completely forgotten about that when you showed up here and I had assumed she'd call first. You have nothing to feel sorry for.”  
Jenna let out a sigh and leaned against his shoulder, for a moment just enjoying the warmth coming from him. It didn't matter how often he told her that it wasn't her fault, Jenna couldn't help but feel at least a little guilty. Peter might have saved the situation, but they wouldn't always be so lucky.  
“What if Pearl talks about it to someone else? What if she tells people Elaine is here and she isn't?” Jenna couldn't help but ask, “You never know. She might mention it to Steven and next time Steven meets Elaine he might say something like _Oh, you didn't say hello last time you were in Cardiff_ and then we're screwed, you even more than me.”  
“You're worrying too much. Pearl isn't gonna mention she saw me half naked when she sort of walked in on me with who she guessed was my wife.”  
Suddenly Peter bent down and a kiss landed on top of her head, finally making Jenna smile again. Peter was probably right. Why would his co-star mention such an encounter to anyone?  
She turned her head and their lips clashed once more in a long, soft kiss that suddenly seemed to make her forget all about her worries. This was their week. Just her and Peter and he was doing a pretty good job at making her knees weak once more.  
“So, do you want to go to bed or stay on the sofa and cuddle some more?” he cocked his eyebrows at her.  
Jenna granted him a smile. “I think I'm gonna take a few cuddles right now.”  
“Alright,” Peter grinned at her and a moment later Jenna found herself lying flat on the sofa, Peter next to her and his arms around her waist. She nuzzled her face against his chest and smiled to herself, determined to make the best of what they had left of this week. She was probably worrying unnecessarily.

* * *

Peter walked into the building with a smile on his face, still feeling somewhat elevated after this morning. Last night the mood might have vanished, but it had made their morning all the better. He could still feel the touch of her hands and her lips on his skin, along with slight burn of the marks her nails had left on his back. Peter knew he really shouldn't feel happy about the situation, but he did, because everything about his life seemed so utterly perfect that it was still hard to believe. He had his dream job and a dream of a woman waiting for him in his flat.  
“Morning Pearl,” he greeted her cheerfully as he sank down in the chair next to her, ready for someone from make up to appear.  
His co-star just grinned at him in reply in a way that was almost unsettling.  
“Is something wrong?” Peter asked warily, “Did I miss something?”  
Pearl snorted. “Apart from the gigantic hickey on your neck, no, probably nothing.”  
“What?!” Peter shot around to have a look at himself in the mirror and his heart sank into his boots when he saw that Pearl was right. Damn. He really had missed that.  
“Fuck,” he uttered, examining the bite mark a little more closely. What was he going to do now?  
“Relax,” Pearl told him, still giggling, “Make up will take care of that. And again, sorry about last night. Really, if I had known she was in town I'd never have stopped by. But you _have_ to tell me your secret at some point.”  
“ _My secret?_ ” Peter gawked at her. He still couldn't think straight. Had she figured him out now? What would he tell make up about the hickey once they got here?  
“Your secret to a successful marriage of course,” his co-star went on, “Seriously, I haven't been able to hold a guy for more than a few years and you and Elaine are like the ultimate relationship goals. I need to know everything.”  
Luckily Peter was spared an answer when two women walked in, ready to prepare them for the camera and he sank back in his chair, praying that they wouldn't ask any more questions about the marks on his neck. And heaven forbid they failed to cover it up and Steven noticed. 

Fortunately they managed to cover it up and fortunately Steven never noticed. He was far too busy chatting with the actor that they had cast to play the monster, so Peter and Pearl retreated into a more quiet corner for their lunch break. He was almost afraid she would start questioning him again when his phone suddenly rang. Elaine. Right, why would his day get any easier?  
“Hello darling,” he answered it a little breathlessly, “What's up?”  
“Oh, you know, just checking if my husband is still alive.”  
A sudden pang of guilt hit him when he realized he hadn't even called once since Jenna's arrival. He had banned Elaine from his thoughts along with the guilt, but she was his wife. Of course she would call him at some point.  
“I'm sorry. I meant to call, but it's been quite busy around here,” Peter lowered his voice.  
“I guess you won't be coming home this weekend then?” Elaine asked him and she sounded mad. He had been neglecting her and Cissy and he knew it, but that would all change. As soon as he had found a way to look her in the eyes again.  
“No,” he replied, “But the one after. I promise.”  
“Peter-” Elaine began but he needed to interrupt her before the questions started. He couldn't talk openly. Not here. Not now. Maybe he would never be able to talk and tell her exactly what has been going on.  
“I'll call you. And I'll come back to London next week.”  
Elaine hesitated for a long moment. “Fine. But as soon as you're back, you and I need to have a little chat. You've been acting strange lately and I've been turning a blind eye for too long now.”  
For a moment Peter thought his heart might have stopped. Elaine wasn't stupid. She knew something was wrong. It was him that was being stupid for believing she would never notice. He wasn't ready for that yet. He wasn't ready to tell her anything. But he had to be. One week.  
“Okay,” he said simply but Elaine had already hung up.

When Peter slid the phone back into his pocket and looked up, noticing the look on Pearl's face, he instantly knew that she had heard more than she probably should have.  
“I take it that was your wife?” she raised her eyebrows at him.  
“Pearl-”  
Suddenly the young woman rose from her chair and reached for her coffee, granting him a smile that didn't seem nice at all. “You know, that's really none of my business.”  
Pearl turned around, leaving him alone in his corner, feeling even more dreadful than before. Pearl knew. Elaine knew. Something was going to happen and he doubted it would be a good thing.


	17. The Moment Of Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments, guys :) I can smell your fear of angst. So let's have it!

“No, stay,” Peter said and pulled her back against his chest when Jenna made another attempt to get up. They had been doing this for way too long and Jenna knew she would never be able to leave if she let him continue.  
“My plane leaves tonight,” she argued, “It's almost noon and I haven't packed a thing and I still have to drive back to London.”  
“Take me with you,” he half growled before he placed a short kiss on her lips.  
“I wish I could,” Jenna sighed, allowing herself to picture it for a moment. Peter would drag her to every museum Italy had to offer and tell her all about the paintings and the sculptures. They would eat in the nicest restaurants and make love in the clean sheets of a five star hotel bed. In her imagination they were so happy it almost hurt. “You. Me. Rome. It would be perfect.”  
“Send me pictures at least.”  
Jenna giggled. “Oh, I will. Or you could get an Instagram account like I did,” she turned around and grinned at him, “You could see my pictures there and I could think of a few thousand fans who would be ecstatic about you getting an account.”  
He only chuckled in response. “You know me and tech, Jenna, with my skill I'll accidentally upload one of those rather naughty pictures you sent me while I was on set yesterday.”  
Her smile widened. “No, you wouldn't.”  
“Probably not,” he agreed and suddenly pulled her up to lie on top of his chest, groaning, “But I will look at them every day for the next week until you come back, missing you like crazy.”  
“You'll live,” she teased him. He was impossible and the closer they had come to Saturday, the day of her departure, the more attached Peter had seemed. Yet there was something else behind it, Jenna could feel it. She saw it in his thoughtful, almost worried gaze when he thought she wasn't looking. Yet Jenna was too afraid of the answer to ask him about it.  
“I guess,” he replied, his voice low but then he looked back up at her, “Will I see you the week after you return?”  
Jenna paused. She would have loved to say yes, but she couldn't. “I have a few events in London that I need to attend,” she admitted.  
“I'll come to London then,” Peter said excitedly.  
“What about Doctor Who?” Jenna chuckled.  
“Well, they said that if I ever needed to take a break because of my knee I only need to say it.”  
“Peter-,” Jenna had aimed to scold him, but the look her gave her melted her heart instantly. And it wasn't like she didn't want him to visit her in London. “Alright.”  
She uttered a small sound of surprise when Peter suddenly flipped them over and pinned her into the sheets. Once their lips touched again Jenna figured that they still had a little time if they made it quick. And to be fair, she would be missing him, too.

* * *

The flat felt insanely empty without Jenna and for a moment Peter couldn't even imagine what it had been like before they had started this thing.  
_This thing_. It was an affair, but even in his head Peter couldn't bring himself to call it that. He was cheating on his wife, whom he loved, and it hurt him as well, especially right now. It hurt that he couldn't bring himself to be honest, but what other choice did he have? He loved Jenna, too, and calling it an affair meant cheapening what they had together when his feelings for her were anything but. Peter knew full well that he couldn't have both of them, not forever, but how could he make a decision as impossible as this? Choose between the woman who had been his rock for so many years, who had always believed in him and given him strength, with whom he had a daughter, for God's sake, and Jenna, whom he had loved from the moment they had met. He hadn't realized it then, but now he knew that it was true. Their connection had been instant and strong and right now she made him feel so alive, so happy that he thought his heart might burst over with joy. He couldn't choose. Not yet anyway. 

After he had sorted his laundry Peter moved on to the bedroom, knowing that he should change the sheets, but just when he had removed the pillow cases he heard the door bell ring. Somehow he had this feeling that it would be Pearl, who had come to rehearse their lines or talk about what she had overheard but when he opened the door Peter stared right into Elaine's face.  
His heart sank and Peter opened his mouth to say something, but no word came out. No word at all.  
“Hey,” Elaine smiled at him, “You said you were busy, so I thought I'd come by and see if I can help you with anything.”  
“Elaine-”  
His wife took a deep breath and without saying anything else she stepped past him into the corridor.  
“Knowing you you probably forget to eat or run out of clean clothes, but the place looks surprisingly clean,” she noted, having a look around and obviously spotting the piles of clothes through the open bathroom door.  
“I was just cleaning,” he said and then slowly seemed to regain control over his thoughts, “You didn't have to come here all the way from London just to check on me. I'm a grown man.”  
“And I'm the wife who has vowed to support you whatever you do,” she shot back at him, a sudden hostility in her voice. Then she seemed to swallow her anger. “Sorry, I didn't come here to fight. I just wanted to see you, see how you've been.”  
Peter lowered his gaze to his feet. How could he do this to Elaine? How could he cheat and enjoy it when Elaine was at home, worrying about him?  
“Peter, I'm worried about you,” he heard her sigh, “Something is wrong and you're not telling me what it is. You've been avoiding me, for months actually, and I don't think you're busy. If it was any other man I'd accuse him of cheating but not you, so tell me what the hell is going on in your mind!”  
It was too much, simply too much. Peter turned around and headed into the living room, but Elaine simply followed as he sank down on the couch and buried his face in his hands. This couch. Where he had cuddled with Jenna only last night. If only she was here right now.  
“Peter, please, you're scaring me,” Elaine implored him, “What on earth could be so bad that you can't tell me?”

Finally Peter looked up at her and he knew he had to say it. Maybe not all of it because Elaine would never forgive that, but he had to tell her. Now.  
“I took you up on your offer,” he confessed weakly.  
His wife's face turned into a frown. “My offer? What offer?”  
“I stepped out. I cheated. I found someone and we had sex.”  
To his surprise Elaine's features softened after he had confessed his transgressions and a moment later he could hear her sigh in what he thought was relief.  
“For Christ's sake, Peter,” she laughed, “That was why you were avoiding me?”  
He swallowed, unsure what to say next. He hadn't expected this reaction of her, anything but that. “Yeah,” he admitted after a moment, “I'm sorry. I just. . . I couldn't even look you in the eye at first.”  
“Why? Because you enjoyed it?” Elaine snorted, “Peter, I gave you the permission to do it, remember? So we could get even. I didn't think you'd feel so guilty about it afterwards that you refused to come home. You actually scared me. I was thinking God knows what, that you were terminally ill or something.”  
Peter raised an eyebrow at her. “So. . . so you're okay with what I did?”  
Finally Elaine stopped laughing and walked over to the sofa to take a seat next to him, smiling kindly. “Yes, I'm okay with it, you idiot. And now stop feeling guilty about it. You're in your 50s and your wife gave you permission to be with another woman and you took the chance, be happy about that.”  
She gave him a soft nudge and smiled and Peter forced himself to smile back. If she knew the entire story she surely wouldn't be so happy, but that was exactly why he couldn't tell her. 

“May I ask who it was?” Elaine said curiously after a while.  
Peter cleared his throat. “Are you sure you want to know?” He didn't really want to tell her about Jenna, maybe because she had been right in her assumption that Elaine wouldn't be so calm about it if she knew he had had sex with his best friend.  
“Why? It's not someone that I know, is it?”  
When he lowered his gaze again Elaine must have felt the truth because a few moments later she spoke the one name that sent his heart racing like mad.  
“Yes,” he confirmed, “It was Jenna.”  
“ _Both times?_ ”  
Peter didn't reply, he didn't have to. Elaine knew and she rose from her seat to pace the room for a few moments. She was mad now, definitely mad.  
“You know, I thought you would pick a fangirl or someone else you didn't really know but I realize now how stupid that was. That's not really something you'd do, is it?”  
“No, it's not,” he replied quietly.  
“But what about your friendship? I mean, I assume you're not just going to end that.”  
He shook his head and heard Elaine sigh after a while.  
“Okay, I-” she broke off, “I think I'll do your laundry now. How about you make us something for dinner in the meantime?”  
Finally Peter looked back up and saw the determination on her face. “You're okay? You, me, we-?”  
Elaine nodded. “We'll be fine. I just a need a moment to let it settle. Go and make dinner. I didn't drive three hours for nothing.”

When Elaine had disappeared into the bathroom Peter suddenly felt afraid again. Afraid of what was going on behind that closed door, afraid of all the things he hadn't told Elaine, afraid that if he chose her he would lose Jenna forever. And he had to choose.


	18. Phone Calls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments :) Now that Elaine knows. . . what could possibly happen next?

On Tuesday night Peter finally reached for his phone. Elaine had left on Monday morning, heading back to London after a very awkward weekend together. They had talked about it and Elaine had forgiven him. For their first two times. Somehow Peter doubted she would extend that to all the other occasions during which he had cheated.  
But the thing was – he didn't miss Elaine. He missed Jenna.  
Finally, after Peter had already considered hanging up, she answered her phone with a giggle. “Hey Peter,” she said and he could hear the rustling of fabric in the background, “Sorry, I was with the girls. Retreated to my room just now. What's up?”  
“Missing you,” he sank back into his pillows, “Is something funny?”  
“No, just-,” she broke off, “A little tipsy. We were having cocktails.”  
Peter smiled at the phone. “Glad to hear you're enjoying your holiday.”  
This wasn't the right time to tell her about Elaine's visit, not when she was on holiday and in such a good mood.  
“I miss you, too. I've got this _huge_ bed all to myself,” she sighed, “It's _very_ comfy.”  
The thought of Jenna lying in bed, probably still in a pretty party dress, entered his mind and suddenly Peter felt wide awake. If only he was there with her. He would close his arms around her and never let go.  
“Stop it or I might just catch the next plane to Rome to see you,” he growled in frustration. He just wanted to be with her. Lying next to each other instead of just talking on the phone.  
“If only you could,” Jenna replied, chuckling again, “I have a few ideas for what we could do.”  
“Oh?” Peter cocked an eyebrow even though she couldn't see it, “Those don't happen to be the same ideas I'm having right now? Visiting the Sistine Chapel, looking at museums?”  
“No,” she paused, “My ideas were a little more. . . private. And they involve fewer clothes.”  
He groaned in frustration, shifting in bed as if that could take his mind of the idea. “Oh, Jenna, I'm an old man and here I am, feeling like a teenager with you. How did you manage to turn my head like this?”  
Again she giggled but her laughter slowly faded away. When she spoke again it was in all seriousness. “You turned my head, too, Peter,” Jenna admitted, “You're so attentive and sweet. I doubt any woman could resist you.”  
He snorted. “Oh, I think they could.”  
“No,” Jenna argued quietly, “You're the best man I've ever met.”  
Suddenly Peter's heart was starting to beat a little faster. If Jenna felt the same things he did. . . If she truly meant was she was saying. . . Then maybe. . .  
“I should probably go to sleep. I'm an hour ahead of you and it's already past midnight here,” Jenna suddenly interrupted his train of thoughts and maybe that was for the best. Otherwise he might have said something he didn't mean. Not yet anyway. It was too early to choose, too early to know.  
“And I should sleep, too. Got some monsters to chase in the morning,” he replied.  
“Are things okay on set?”  
“Yeah,” he lied. They weren't okay, not really, but if he told her now she would freak out. Ever since Pearl had figured out that he was cheating on his wife she had done her scenes with him but no more. She was downright avoiding him and Peter was sure that Steven had started to notice. Maybe he would talk to her about it.  
“Go to sleep,” he told her, “I'll call you tomorrow?”  
“Yes,” Jenna replied softly, “Dream something nice about me.”  
“Will do.”  
And he would.

* * *

The hangover wasn't bad, yet it was still bugging her enough to take a pain killer as she stepped out of the shower. They had so many things planned for the day that Jenna thought it would be better not to ruin it with a headache. Then again, her friends had stayed at the bar a little longer and were probably in a worse state now. She was about to slip out of her bathrobe and choose some clothes for the day when suddenly her phone rang. Jenna's first thought was Peter, but when she saw the name on her phone screen she suddenly froze. Elaine.  
Peter had told her that his wife was fine with what they had done – but she didn't know about what had happened afterwards, did she? Jenna swallowed hard, her hands trembling a little as she reached for the phone.  
“Hello?” she sounded more scared than she would have thought.  
“Hello Jenna,” Elaine's voice was friendly. She probably didn't know. “Do you have a moment?”  
“Uhm,” Jenna paused, sinking down on her bed, “Yeah, sure. Is-, erm, is something wrong?”  
“No, not at all. I actually just called to ask you a little favour.”  
Jenna couldn't be sure, but somehow she got the impression that Elaine was as nervous as she felt.  
“Okay? What is it?”  
Peter's wife took a deep breath that Jenna could hear even on her end of the line. “I know that you and Peter. . . He told me this weekend when I stopped by. And that's okay,” she insisted, “Cause I had given him permission.”  
“He told you _this_ weekend?” she couldn't help but ask. According to Peter he had told his wife weeks ago. For a moment Jenna didn't know what to think.  
“I made him tell me,” Elaine said, “He had been acting pretty strangely ever since that convention in America and I knew that something was wrong but I didn't know what. We're fine now, we talked about it and, as I have said, I had given him permission. But you know how he is, right? He felt guilty. Couldn't even look at me.”  
“Yeah,” Jenna breathed in reply, not knowing what else to say. Peter had a lot more to feel guilty about. Cheating on his wife and lying to the woman he was cheating with.  
“That's where the favour comes in, Jenna,” she heard Elaine utter a short laugh, “Peter is a sweet man. I should have known he'd pick you cause he's never been the type for casual things. He'd pick someone he cared about.”  
Jenna knew where this was headed for the simple reason that Peter and Elaine had been married for so long. She knew him. She knew what was going on in his head. What she didn't know was that what she feared had already happened.  
“I would appreciate it if you kept the contact to a minimum for a while,” Elaine said after a moment, “Because I know Peter and I know it won't be easy for him to just move on and pretend it has never happened. When he does something, he does it with all his heart and if I'm completely honest, it scares me a little.”  
His wife laughed, a small, nervous laugh and Jenna felt her heart sink into her boots. Elaine was a good woman and both her and Peter were treating her like dirt. It couldn't go on like that. Sooner or later someone would get hurt, so it would be best to end it while they still could without doing further damage to his heart and her own. And Elaine's.  
“You don't have to be scared,” Jenna finally found the courage to reply, “Peter loves you, but if it eases your mind I will keep my distance for a while. At least until things have cooled down a little.”  
“Thank you, Jenna. That means a lot to me.”

After the phone call had ended it seemed her headache had only grown worse and her throat felt a little dry. She loved Peter, but she had always known that there would come a time when she would have to let him go and that time had come now. But how was she going to break that to him?


	19. I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the sweet and slightly scared comments. You know there's angst ahead, don't you? Ok, let's get it over with. . .

When Jenna stepped out of the taxi she noticed the figure lurking next to her doorstep and her heart sank. He wore a coat and his silly flat cap that he thought would prevent fans from recognizing him, but they had long seen through that.  
“Peter, what are you doing here?” she asked him and what made her feel even worse was the small suitcase she spotted right next to him. Oh no, he had come here to stay for the week, just like they had agreed in Cardiff.  
“I thought you'd call first,” she whispered even though there was no one else around, “I didn't think you'd just show up without a warning.”  
Peter raised his eyebrows. “Can I still come inside?”  
Jenna took a deep breath. She had hoped to find a good excuse so he wouldn't have to come all the way to London. The only thing worse than breaking up was making the other person drive for three hours before the actual break up.  
“Sure,” she replied and went ahead to unlock the door. This was going to be hard, she just knew it. But it had to be done. 

Yet as soon as the door had closed behind them Peter wrapped his arms around her, his strong, careful arms, and pulled her closer against his body and Jenna was once more reminded why she loved being with him so much. She would miss the smell of him, the warmth of his embrace. She already missed it and he wasn't even gone. This wasn't going to be hard, it was going to be nearly impossible.  
“I've missed you like hell,” Peter confessed before he bent down and kissed her, but Jenna didn't part her lips for him this time.  
The confusion was written all over his face when he came back up to look at her. “Is something wrong?” he asked, still holding her.  
Jenna inhaled sharply. “Yes,” she admitted, “Everything is wrong, Peter. You and I, what we're doing is wrong.”  
She stepped back, out of his embrace and watched as Peter opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.  
“Elaine called me last week,” Jenna told her, her voice weak and broken, “She is scared, Peter. She is scared of _this_ , scared she will lose you. She asked me to stay away for a while and it made me realize something.”  
“Jenna-”  
“No, nothing you say can justify what we're doing to Elaine. It's wrong and it should never gave gone beyond those two times. In fact, we shouldn't even have done that. We need to end this and we need to end it now before anyone else gets hurt.”  
Jenna looked down at her feet, trying very hard not to start crying. She loved him and it was painful to push him away, but if she didn't do the right thing now it would only get worse.  
“Can I still say something?” Peter asked quietly.  
Finally she looked back up, saw how crestfallen he seemed and for a moment she wanted to take back everything she had said. But instead she simply nodded.  
“What if I left her?”  
Her heart was pounding in her chest and there was an odd tingling in her limbs that Jenna couldn't quite explain. The question hung in the air, unanswered for a long moment, and even though a part of her had wanted to hear these words, Jenna couldn't just agree. Peter didn't know what he was doing. She had to be the reasonable one.  
“You can't leave Elaine,” she told him, “She is your wife and she loves you. And you love her.”  
Peter scoffed. “Love her? I can't even look at her Jenna,” he spat back, raising his voice at her, “I haven't been able to look at her since America.”  
“That will go away,” she argued when he suddenly stepped closer again, reaching for her hands.  
“Jenna, I was going to make a decision sooner or later, I've been thinking about it for a while,” he said, lifting her hands to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss on her knuckles.  
She shook her head. “There is no decision, Peter. Please, don't make it harder than it already is.”  
In a moment of despair Peter bent down once more and kissed her lips, and this time Jenna let him in, savouring that last kiss, that last moment she had with him. She couldn't let him leave his wife. He was going to regret it sooner or later and he would be unhappy. She just couldn't do that to him. God, if only she didn't love him so much.  
Eventually he came up for air and Jenna noticed that there were tears in the corners of his eyes. She had seen him cry before. Once. On her last day. Only now this goodbye was a lot more final.  
“I'll leave her, Jenna,” he whispered.  
“I don't want you to,” she replied weakly. If he kept going she might end up saying yes and that couldn't happen. Then she remembered one more thing. “You also lied to me, remember? You said you had told Elaine and you hadn't. At least not until a week ago. How could I believe you about that now?”  
“I love you,” Peter said, looking at her pleadingly, “And I mean everything I said. What we had these last weeks, I don't want to miss that. I need you in my life.”  
Jenna bit down on her lip and closed her eyes, fighting that knot in her throat that kept her from saying the only words that would make him leave. She had to. It was the only way.  
“I don't love you.”  
The tears almost came when she saw the look on his face, that heartbroken look that she just couldn't stand. She had to be strong.  
“You're just saying that,” Peter shook his head, “You don't really mean it.”  
“I love the way you treated me like I was a queen. Every woman does. It was wonderful. But it's not worth risking your marriage for because it can't last. I don't love you,” she lied. 

Finally Peter backed away and it seemed as if he was lost for words for a moment.  
“Go to Elaine,” Jenna told him, swallowing hard.  
“Jenna-”  
“Go!” she almost yelled at him because if he didn't leave now she would start crying and Peter couldn't see her tears.  
Without saying another word Peter slowly reached for his suitcase and turned around to leave, but only when the door had closed behind him Jenna was finally able to burst into tears.

* * *

“Peter, what in God's name are you doing in London?” his wife asked as soon as he had stepped through the door. He couldn't deal with her now, he didn't even want to look at her. Peter had never felt so empty in his entire life. That damned night in America had ruined everything. His marriage. His friendship to Jenna. And by extend it had also ruined his friendship to his co-star on the job he had wanted all his life. Yet all Peter could think about right now was how he was ever going to be without Jenna.  
“Peter? What's wrong? You look like hell.”  
“It's the knee,” he said weakly and dropped the suitcase by the stairs, “I just want to go to sleep.”  
“Alright,” he could hear the frown on Elaine's face without even looking at her, “How long will you be staying?”  
“Don't know,” he said as he made his way upstairs. He just wanted to sleep and wake up in a world where everything was okay, or not wake up at all.


	20. Two Scripts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling generous today (and also I've written 4 chapters for this fic on Monday), so instead of just posting the chapter for my Whouffaldi fic today, I'm gonna give you a short one for this fic, too, after I've caused you all some pain yesterday. Thank you so much for the sweet comments :)

**2 Months Later**

 

Peter slumped down in his chair and sighed audibly. His knee was hurting for real now, thanks to the weather, and he needed a break. In fact, he could do with a very long break. A vacation somewhere warm, somewhere nice where no one would bother him. They were on their 10th episode now and it seemed that Peter was wearing thin, like he always did at the end of the series. Just one more scene today and he could go home.  
Only he wouldn't even find peace and quiet there. Elaine had come to visit him over the week and he had promised her a nice meal.  
Suddenly someone held something into his field of vision and Peter looked up to see Steven standing over his chair, smiling at him.  
“What's this?” he asked him, but the question was answered when he took two scripts from his hands, eyeing them curiously. There were no titles, none except “Christmas 2017 #1” and “Christmas 2017 #2”.  
“Pearl has made up her mind,” Steven told him, sitting down on the stool next to him, “She's staying for the next series and, well, we're still waiting for your answer.”  
He sighed, looking at the two scripts in his hands. Peter was terrible when it came to making decisions, especially about something as important as this. To stay on the job he loved, even though the enthusiasm had faded over the last few month – or leave?  
“Take your time,” Steven said, “Read the scripts. Tell me what you think.”  
Peter granted him a light smile. “I'm guessing one script has me regenerating and the other hasn't?”  
Steven nodded.  
“I'll read them over the weekend,” Peter promised and started flipping through one of them until suddenly he came to a halt at a list of potential cast names, one which had a large question mark drawn behind her.

_Jenna Coleman._

Of course. Steven wanted to bring Jenna back in case he decided to leave, to close her story arc. For a moment he had almost agreed to stay another series just to avoid seeing her. It had been two months and Peter guessed that the worst was over by now. At least the temptation to call and beg her to come back had subsided. Eventually it had turned into anger. She didn't love him. He had actually considered leaving his wife for her and she didn't love him. How stupid he had been. Yet there was a tiny part of him still missing her, still wishing that things had turned out differently.  
“Peter?”  
He looked up and instantly knew that Steven had said something and expected an answer. Only he didn't know what that was.  
“I said Chris would be happy to keep you on, but it's your decision.”  
“I know that,” Peter replied, “And I will decide. I just have to read the scripts first.”  
“Peter,” Steven paused, now looking a little stern, “If you decide to stay, something has to change. I don't know what happened between you and Pearl, but I know that you're avoiding each other. Whatever it is that you fought about, you need to talk about it.”  
Peter sighed. He still hadn't talked to Pearl about the moment she had caught him cheating on his wife and after Jenna had left him he just hadn't wanted to even go anywhere near the subject. But now seemed to be the time.  
“It was nothing. Just a misunderstanding. I'll talk to her,” he said. Not today. Maybe tomorrow.  
“Good,” Steven concluded as he rose from his chair and gave him a soft slap on the back, “Now let's wrap that last scene for today, shall we?”  
He nodded and reluctantly rose from his seat. One more scene and then he could go home.

* * *

“Jenna, are you even listening to me?”  
She looked up from the message she had been reading on her phone and stared straight into the face of her stylist, who was waiting impatiently for a decision.  
“Sorry,” Jenna mumbled, “I was just asked to attend a convention and I'm wondering whether or not to go.”  
Rebecca shrugged. “Why not? You haven't actually done anything since Victoria apart from a few evening events. Speaking of which?”  
She held up two dresses that looked equally lovely and Jenna found that she couldn't possibly decide, and also that she didn't care. Rebecca was a great stylist and whatever she picked would be just fine.  
She lowered her gaze back to her phone and started typing a reply, only to be interrupted by Rebecca once more.  
“Jenna, the premiere is in two hours and you're still in your robe!”  
“Just a sec,” she replied, typing, “I need to find out who's coming to the convention.”  
If Peter was coming, she couldn't attend. She missed him and she wasn't sure what she would do if she saw him again, afraid that she would grow weak again if he pushed it. However her stylist snatched the phone from her as soon as she had hit send.  
“Hey!”  
“You may not care about this premiere, but I do, Jenna,” Rebecca said harshly, “So, please, pick a dress and let's get on with it. After this is over you can crawl back into the hole you've been hiding in for the last few weeks but tonight I want to see a smile on that face. Can you do that?”  
Jenna sighed and eventually put on a smile, even if it was fake. She didn't care about the Victoria premiere, she really didn't. “You choose the dress. You know what looks best on me.”  
She watched Rebecca throw aside one of the dresses and eventually held a dark, sparkling one with a nice pattern out for her to put on. Jenna obliged, not having much of a choice. At first she hadn't understood why she was dreading the screening of Victoria, but eventually it had dawned on her. She had first watched the episode with Peter, at home on her sofa and she missed it. Jenna missed those moments with him, those small moments when he had placed his arms around her, or kissed her forehead. She missed his warm, comforting hugs and his goofy laugh. Two months and she still missed him. 

While Rebecca worked on the dress, pinning it up to suit her height, her phone rang again and Jenna read a long list of names. Richard was going to attend the convention. Oh well, she could deal with her ex. She probably wouldn't even see him. Steven would attend it, too. Peter's name, however, was not on the list, so Jenna replied and agreed to come. She could use a distraction and Rebecca was right. She had been hiding in her house for too long.


	21. Trying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you soooo much for the sweet, sweet comments :) You're hoping it's gonna get better? Okay, how about this. . .

When Peter stepped through the door, Elaine was already waiting for him in the corridor, smiling. He placed a short peck on her lips before he made his way into the kitchen. He had promised her dinner and he would get it over with as quickly as possible. He needed sleep.  
“How was work?” Elaine asked him, joining him at the counter to help prepare the lasagne.  
Peter sighed. “Tiring,” he replied simply.  
His wife nodded. “The knee acting up again?”  
“It did earlier. It's fine now.”  
It didn't slip his notice that Elaine was watching him as he mixed together the contents of their dinner, but if something was bothering her, it didn't bother her enough to talk about it. Instead she helped with the lasagne and Peter occupied his mind with possible options for what he could do while it was in the oven. He hadn't played the guitar in a while. Maybe he could do that.

However once the lasagne was in the oven he could feel Elaine's arms around his waist, hugging him from behind.  
“Hey, I have an idea what we could do while we wait,” she whispered sweetly and Peter's heart sank. He knew what she wanted and he had dreaded that moment.  
It was normal for them to go without sex for a while. They had been together for so long that the initial passion had given way to making love occasionally. They were in their 50s, not teenagers. It was natural. However sex was the very last thing on his mind right now. It was too occupied with other matters.  
Peter turned around in her embrace and granted her a weak smile. “Not now, okay? I'm really hungry and I don't want to risk burning dinner.”  
“It'll take a while,” Elaine argued.  
He sighed. “I'm sorry, but I really don't feel up to it at the moment. I've had a long day and all I really want is to eat and sleep. That's not really the ideal mood for that.”  
His wife let go of him and took a step back, but her features remained soft, almost worried. “If you're having issues again, you should see a doctor. The pills helped last time.”  
Peter groaned, rolling his eyes. “Last time I was unemployed and depressed. I don't have issues, Elaine, I don't need Viagra,” he spat at her, “I'm just tired and stressed and not in the mood.”  
Elaine put her arms akimbo, glaring at him at his sudden outburst. “If it's the body of a 30-year-old woman you need to put you in the mood, then I'm sorry. I can't provide you with that!”  
He frowned at her. “What is that supposed to mean?”  
“It means that we haven't had sex since you've slept with Jenna and I'm starting to take your rejection personally!”  
There it was. The truth he hadn't even dared to think. But Jenna had left him and it was the reasonable decision to make an effort and fix his marriage. That was why he was cooking for her, why he had invited her to join him in Cardiff for the week. But he couldn't sleep with her. As soon as he thought about having sex with Elaine his thoughts instantly wandered back to Jenna and how it had been with her, how he would think about her while he was inside his wife and it was wrong. He just couldn't do it. Not yet. Peter wasn't ready.  
“I'm sorry,” Elaine said after a moment, “I shouldn't have brought that up. I had allowed it and it's fine.”  
“No, it's not,” Peter replied, “I've done something wrong and no matter how often you tell that it's okay, it's just not. And now I can't seem to do it right.”  
“You still feel guilty?” she asked him, cocking her eyebrows.  
“I don't know,” he replied truthfully, “I only know that it changed something and I need more time before. . . we do that.”  
It would surely return to normal once he was able to forget Jenna. He had been with Elaine so long, surely they could fix it.  
Eventually Elaine nodded, giving him a light smile before she walked up to him. Peter bent down for a short kiss that seemed to cheer her up at least a little.  
“It will get better,” he promised her, “Just let me finish these last three episodes and then we'll go on a nice vacation, okay?”  
Elaine nodded and smiled at him, but something about the way she looked at him told Peter that she had her doubts. And if Elaine doubted them, then they were screwed.

* * *

“Pearl, can we talk for a moment?”  
His co-star turned around and gave him a polite smile, but nothing more. Peter really couldn't blame her for losing respect for him after what she had uncovered, but he still needed to talk to her about it.  
“Sure, is it about that line again?” she asked when he placed his hand on her back and started leading her away from the others, into a more quiet corner.  
“It's about something personal,” he admitted.  
The young woman gave a short shrug before she sank down on one of the chairs and reluctantly Peter did the same. Steven had told him to fix it, but what was he even supposed to tell her?  
“Peter, are you okay?” she asked him once she had noticed his hesitation.  
He inhaled sharply. “I know you've been avoiding me, and, honestly, I can't blame you for it. I can't blame you for losing respect when you've complimented me on my marriage and then-”  
He broke off. It was hard to say it, hard to talk about it because even though he had been cheating, while he had been with Jenna it hadn't really felt like it. His feelings for her had been honest. His actions, however, hadn't been.  
Pearl raised an eyebrow. “Then I figured out the woman in your flat wasn't actually your wife,” she sighed, “I guess it's really none of my business, but I was a bit shocked, to be honest. I've looked up to you, as an actor and person.”  
“I've made mistakes and I'm trying to fix them now. Elaine knows and we're working on it,” Peter lowered his gaze to his feet. Was he really working on it as hard as he could?  
“It's really none of my business. I guess I shouldn't have let it interfere with our work. Or our friendship,” she admitted, “And if you're staying for the next series, I should probably forget what I've seen and stop ignoring you.”  
“I haven't decided yet.”  
“Still, consider the incident forgotten. I was being stupid.”  
Finally Peter looked back up and the smile on her face almost made him feel a little better, yet he couldn't quite bring himself to smile back. If he could fix things with Pearl so easily, why couldn't it be just as easy with Elaine? With Jenna? God, he still missed her.  
“Are you coming to that con in New York?” Pearl suddenly tore him out of his thoughts.  
“What con? Who's going?” Peter raised an eyebrow at her.  
“Oh, just Steven and I. Didn't they ask you?”  
Peter whipped his phone out of his pocket and, sure enough, there was a message from his agent, asking him to attend another convention in New York. He considered it for a moment. It had been a convention in America that had started this mess, where it had all started to go wrong, but this was different, right? Just him, Pearl and Steven. Maybe it would be fun and take his mind off Jenna for a while.  
“Sure,” Peter agreed eventually, “I'll come.”  
He texted his agent the confirmation and placed his phone back in his pocket. Yes, a weekend away from everything would do him good, especially now that things with Pearl were back to normal.


	22. Things I Thought I Loved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe. . . you just know they gonna meet at the convention, don't you? Well, let's see how that goes down.

**1 Month Later**

 

A part of him wasn't even mad that Elaine had to work, at least he wouldn't have to worry about her over the weekend. While Steven had Sue by his side, Peter had Pearl to talk to during the flight and now that everything between them was fine once more he was already looking forward to their panel and everything else related to the convention. He always enjoyed it, he enjoyed making fans happy and if he decided to leave after Christmas he knew he was going to miss that part of his job.  
“I really shouldn't have had that coffee,” Pearl jiggled her leg next to him. They were sitting at the airport, waiting to board the plane and his co-star hadn't quite gotten used to flying around the world yet. She would.  
“You should try to sleep on the plane,” he told her, “It's gonna be a long day.”  
“Yeah, that's why the coffee was a stupid idea,” she replied but Peter hardly heard her answer.  
Instead his gaze was fixed on the woman who had just entered through the last security check and his mouth fell open while his heart threatened to jump out of his chest. Oh no, she wouldn't. She hadn't been on the list. No, it simply couldn't be.  
“Pearl,” he turned around to his colleague, hoping the panic wasn't too obvious in his voice, “Jenna's not coming to the convention, is she?”  
She smiled at him. “Yeah, she is. Didn't you know? I thought you guys were friends.”  
“But you said it was just you, me and Steven,” he blurted out.  
Pearl frowned at him. “Jenna was confirmed a few days later. I thought you knew?”

At exactly that moment Jenna seemed to have finished saying hello to Steven and Sue and turned around. She stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted him. Damn. She hadn't known either, judging by her look.  
That look. Despite the shock on her face Jenna was as gorgeous as ever and Peter had exactly two urges: to run up to her and hug her until she found it hard to breathe, or turn around and run away.  
Luckily for him he didn't have to choose. They announced that the plane was ready for boarding and Peter instantly grabbed his hand luggage and headed towards the exit, not turning around even once. They could have asked anyone. Anyone. Except Jenna. She was the one person he just couldn't face right now because even looking at her still felt like hell.

* * *

Jenna stared at the empty spot Peter had been occupying until a few seconds ago and tried to get her heartbeat back under control. Oh God, why did it have to be him? Why at a convention in America?  
“Jenna?”  
“Huh?” she turned around and looked at Steven.  
Suddenly he burst into laughter. “You look like you've seen a ghost. Everything okay?”  
“Yeah,” she breathed in reply, “I didn't know Peter was coming. When did he decide?”  
“Oh, that was weeks ago. Didn't he tell you?”  
Jenna stared back at the empty seat, but Peter was long gone. She wanted so much to talk to him, just to hear how he had been. She missed him so much.  
“About that script I sent you in that e-mail,” Steven continued next to her, interrupting her train of thoughts, “Would you be interested?”  
The script. The Christmas episode. Peter's regeneration. Of course.  
“I, uhm,” Jenna paused. She couldn't possibly decide that on her own now. It was as much up to Peter as it was up to her. Finally she forced herself to smile at Steven. “I'll have to read it first, won't I?”  
“Sure,” Steven nodded, “Take your time. Peter still hasn't made up his mind. But I would love for you to be in it. Now, come on, or the the plane will leave without us.”

Jenna sighed and reluctantly followed after Steven. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing if the plane left without her. At least it would spare her a lot of pain over the weekend.

* * *

Peter caught a glimpse of her at the airport during the passport checks but other than that he didn't see Jenna all day. Separate taxis picked them up and brought them to the hotel to drop off their bags before driving them to the convention. He took photos with fans, smiled, signed pictures and artwork and DVD covers, but a part of him was always on the lookout. He _wanted_ to see her, even though it hurt him just to look at her. It was unnerving, knowing that Jenna was here as well and not with him and not even Pearl could keep him distracted. Jenna could walk around the corner any second. But she never did. A look at the schedule confirmed his suspicion. While he was signing autographs, Jenna was due to take photos and the other way around. Peter wasn't sure whether to be glad or sad about the fact. How did Jenna even feel about it?  
Peter shook his head at his own thoughts when he had closed the hotel room door behind him. Jenna didn't care. She didn't love him. But he still loved her.  
Peter was about to head straight into the shower when suddenly there was a knock on his door. He frowned. Pearl had gone to sleep already. And Steven? Who knew what that man was up to. No, Peter knew exactly who was in front of that door.

* * *

Jenna took a deep breath and knocked before she could change her mind. She had debated with herself all day and come to the conclusion that they needed to talk, especially about that Christmas episode they might or might not do together.  
However her courage seemed to have left her once he had opened the door and she couldn't even bring herself to say hello. Peter was standing right in front of her, dressed in only a t-shirt and looking so tired that all she really wanted to do was throw her arms around him and stay in his embrace all night long.  
“Jenna,” he whispered and she watched him swallow hard.  
She inhaled sharply. “Can I come in?” her voice was weak and small, “There's something we should talk about.”  
He remained silent for a long moment and just looked at her. He was still hurting, that much was obvious, but she couldn't let that distract herself. She had made the right decision.  
Eventually Peter opened the door a little wider and turned around, walking back into the hotel room and Jenna followed, closing the door behind her. She watched as he bent down to open the mini bar and stared at its contents for a while.  
“It's about the Christmas episode. Steven has asked me to come back for it,” she explained.  
Peter turned back around and held a drink in her direction. “Chocolate milk?”  
Finally Jenna cracked a smile. “I'd rather have some unpronounceable liquor if you don't mind.”  
He gave a light shrug and turned to face the mini bar again, handing her a small bottle of something that looked utterly disgusting moments later. Without saying a single word Peter sat down on the floor next to the bar, leaning his back against the bed and Jenna decided to follow his example. Wordlessly he opened the bottle and emptied it in one go. Jenna smelled the contents first and wrinkled her noise. It didn't matter. She needed a bit of courage for this kind of conversation, so she drank it.  
“So,” she began, “Steven has asked me to come back for the Christmas special if you decide to leave.”  
“I haven't decided yet,” Peter replied and opened the bar once more, retrieving more tiny bottles of all kinds of colours and setting them down between them. He chose the whiskey and drank it.  
“Well,” Jenna paused and reached for an orange bottle, “I still think we should talk about it. Whether it's okay for you if I come back. Cause I want to. If you want me to.”  
Instead of replying Peter eyed the selection next to them and the silence was beginning to bother her. The way Peter acted was bothering her. She knocked back the bottle with the orange content that was even more disgusting than the first and set the bottle back down. Peter still hadn't replied, he had, however, chosen another bottle.  
“Peter?”  
He sighed. “Have you read the script?” Peter turned his head and looked straight at her.  
“No, not yet,” she admitted, “Steven only sent it to me yesterday.”  
“The Doctor and Clara kiss at the end of it. Sorry for the spoiler,” he replied drily and opened another one of the bottles to drink it.  
Jenna swallowed, for a moment not knowing what to say. “We're professionals,” she reasoned after a moment, “We can do it. But it's up to you.”  
“I haven't decided,” he repeated and when he was about to reach for another drink Jenna slapped his hand away.  
“Stop drinking these, you'll get drunk,” she scolded him angrily.  
“Maybe I wanna be drunk. Haven't been drunk in years. It used to be fun when I was young,” he said in a grumpy manner and offered her another one.  
Jenna took it reluctantly but eventually decided to go along. Maybe he would grow a little more talkative that way. “Why do you consider quitting at all?” she asked him, “I thought you loved being the Doctor.”  
His head shot around and he was glaring at her. “There's several things I thought I loved,” he spat.  
Finally Jenna sighed. “Okay, here's a suggestion. Let's put these disgusting things back in the mini bar, order up a bottle of wine and you tell me all that has happened on set in the past three months. Then we'll determine whether you should stay or leave. Okay?”  
Peter seemed to consider her suggestion for a moment, but eventually nodded.


	23. America... again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the lovely comments. Alcohol and feelings can't you well, you say? Mhhh, let's see.

When he woke up Peter knew one thing for sure. Getting drunk was a lot less fun in the morning when the throbbing in his head threatened to crush his temples. There was a stale taste in his mouth and in the back of his mind he knew there was an early appointment of some sort. Fuck those tiny bottles. Fuck the wine. Fuck the appointment. He was sore all over, his back was aching and there was an odd burning sensation around his knees. No, getting drunk wasn't fun at all.  
Peter tried to turn around to move away from the light coming in through the windows when he suddenly became aware of the weight lying on top of him and he opened his eyes.

Jenna. 

For a moment Peter forgot all about the pain or the hangover. Jenna was lying in his arms, just as naked as he was, and his heart skipped a beat. There was the reason for his aching back and knees and there couldn't have been a better one. She hadn't even hesitated to kiss him back last night and he smiled at the memory of it. They had both been properly drunk after just half a bottle and he had decided to just go for it. He had leaned in to kiss her and she had kissed him back and then there had just been no stopping the two of them. Peter had taken her right on the floor next to his bed, knees scraping over the carpet, their bodies only half undressed but finally united once more. It had been rough and desperate and Jenna had clawed at his back, the marks probably still visible now, and they had moaned out loud without restraint. Hopefully the walls were soundproof.  
Now Jenna was beginning to stir on top of him and Peter hoped that she would just fall back asleep. He wasn't sure how she would react. After all, she had ended it with him three months ago. But he had missed her so much and he wanted this moment to last a little bit longer. Just go back to sleep until the worst of his hangover had passed and hold Jenna in his arms. That was all he wanted. However he had no such luck.

“Fuck,” Jenna mumbled against his chest before she let out a groaning sound.  
“Shhh,” Peter hushed her quietly, closing his eyes again and reaching out to stroke her hair, “Go back to sleep.”  
“No,” she murmured and struggled to look at him. She squinted her eyes for a moment before she buried her face back against his chest. “No, no, no, we didn't.”  
Suddenly she winced and that was what made her sit up and look over her shoulder. “Fuck,” she mumbled again and Peter turned to look at the fresh scuff marks. They really had been rough last night.  
He bent forward and placed a soft kiss on one of the marks, holding on to her waist to keep her in place.  
“Peter,” she warned him, “Please, stop being sweet.”  
“Never,” he mumbled against her skin as he kissed his way down her spine. He had missed her and he would use any second she let him as best as he could.  
Suddenly Jenna turned around without a warning and looked at him. “Peter, we can't do this,” she said quietly, “We can't fall back into the old pattern. It's not right. I ended it for a reason and. . . ah, fuck.”  
She let herself fall back into the pillows and closed her eyes. For a moment Peter considered doing the same. His headache was killing him, but looking at Jenna seemed to be worth it.  
“I still miss you, Jenna,” he confessed, “I think about you every day. I want you back.”  
Jenna only groaned in reply, covering her eyes with her hands. “You don't miss me and you don't want me back. That's the rest of the alcohol talking.”  
Peter opened his mouth to protest when suddenly there was a knock at the door.  
“Peter, for God's sake, answer your phone! Your panel with Pearl starts in 10 minutes!” Steven yelled on the other side of the door and Peter immediately groaned and slumped back into the pillows. Fuck. The panel with Pearl. His early appointment. And Jenna was right, he was probably still a little drunk.  
“I'll be there,” he groaned in reply.  
“You better be!”

Peter hobbled out of bed and reached for the first pieces of clothing he could find. Only now he realized that he had hurt his back and knee a lot worse than he had initially thought and the headache was even worse standing up.  
“Take a shower,” Jenna mumbled behind him, “You'll make a terrible impression.”  
“No time,” he replied as he slipped on his shirt.  
“At least brush your teeth,” she said after he had left a short kiss on her lips.  
“Will do. And we'll talk later.”  
“Peter,” Jenna began, but after he had given her his most pleading look she added: “Fine. Later.”  
“Good,” he cracked a smile at her and put on his Ray Bans. Hopefully no one would be able to tell just what kind of night he had had.

Peter was still limping when he entered the backstage area where Steven and Pearl were already waiting for him and upon seeing the look on their faces he had half a mind to turn around and head back to the hotel. Steven looked mad, Pearl worried.  
“Sorry,” he mumbled, “Overslept.”  
“Well, you're here on time,” Steven let out a sigh and gave him another judging glance. He wasn't the type to run late, so Steven had every right to be suspicious.  
“Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee?” one of the convention employees appeared next to him and smiled.  
“Coffee,” he replied automatically, “No, wait, espresso. Double.”  
Once the woman had disappeared he noticed that Pearl was slowly inching closer to him. “Tough night?” she asked and Peter only glared down at her, even though she couldn't see through his sunglasses. “I know a hangover when I see one.”  
“Just keep me from falling off the chair while we're on stage and all will be fine,” he replied.

The panel started and all three of them were asked to come on stage. Peter instantly sank down on the sofa and started clutching his espresso as if his life depended on it. And right now it did. He still hadn't woken up properly and his mind felt scrambled, his thoughts circling around Jenna and what they had done. He needed to focus. But God, it had been good to finally be with her again. Would Jenna take him back now?  
“Pearl, what's it like to be the new companion?” the host asked her and instantly she started talking about how much fun they had on set, how nice and supportive everyone was towards her. Peter leaned back and pretended to listen, but his thoughts were with Jenna.  
“Peter, this is a question for you,” the host turned straight towards him, tearing him out of his daydream, “What do you say. Will the Doctor eventually remember Clara?”  
Peter smiled when the audience uttered an “awww”. “Well, some of you will have seen _Class_ already. You get to see bits. He might not be actively searching for her cause he's got Bill now to keep him on his toes, but Clara is always there with him. She's had such a huge impact on the Doctor's life. And there's a scene where he sees her di-”  
He was interrupted when Steven suddenly cleared his throat. Fuck. He had almost said something.  
However Steven laughed over the matter. “Peter, I though we had agreed not to trick the audience. They might actually believe you.”  
“Right,” Peter uttered a nervous laugh, “But I do believe that one day the Doctor's memory will return. I can't say when that will be. Maybe it takes a few regenerations. But there's no easy way to get over a woman like Jenna.”  
The audience cheered but the host was still eyeing him curiously. “You mean Clara, right?”  
Oh God. He had said Jenna. Not Clara. Peter wrecked his brain for good response to that but he couldn't come up with anything, not with the hangover clouding his mind.  
“Of course Clara. I meant Clara,” he corrected himself and leaned back on the sofa while he was vaguely aware that next to him Steven was covering his eyes with his hand. Peter sipped his espresso and hoped no one would ask him any more questions.


	24. Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the lovely comments :) Now, let them talk!!!

“ _What the hell was that?_ ”  
Peter let out a groan as soon as they were backstage. He had made a complete fool out of himself during that panel, almost spoiling episodes and giving away too much about his private life as well. When he had already felt embarrassed, the rest that had come out of his mouth had been stuttered nonsense. He had waited for a hole in the ground to open up and swallow him, but that had never happened. Of course Steven was mad.  
“Sorry,” Peter mumbled in reply, “I didn’t sleep so well last night.”  
“Yeah, I can see that,” Steven replied angrily and tore the sunglasses from his nose. The light blinded him instantly. “I had gotten used to this behaviour when Matt and Karen were on the show. They showed up hungover on several occasions but _you_ , Peter? Seriously?”  
Peter stared at his own two feet. Steven had every right to yell at him and be mad. But what Peter hadn't expected was Steven taking him by the arm and pulling him into a quiet corner. Oh God, he was going to fire him. Surely he was.  
“Peter, is everything okay? At home? At work? You’ve been distracted a lot lately and I thought it was the usual end-of-the-series-blues. But it’s not, is it? If there’s anything I can do-“  
“I’m fine,” Peter responded automatically. As if he could tell Steven the truth. He’d really fire him on the spot. The star of Britain’s beloved family show, cheating on his wife with his young ex-co-star. Yeah, that would make a great headline.  
“For such a good actor you really are a terrible liar,” Steven paused, looking straight at him for a moment, “Is it something about Jenna? She reacted quite strangely when she saw you at the airport. Or Pearl? I thought you got along lately. Peter, whatever it is, you can tell me.”  
Peter inhaled sharply. He knew he had to say something or otherwise Steven would never leave him in peace. “It’s personal,” he admitted, “And I’m trying not to bring it to work. I’m sorry, Steven, I really am. Something like this won’t ever happen again.”  
He raised an eyebrow. “Is that why you’re reluctant to make a decision about staying or not?”  
Peter let out a short, insecure laugh. “No, I’m just generally indecisive. I’m getting there though. I think I know what do to.”  
“Care to enlighten me?” Steven asked, still eyeing him suspiciously.  
“Not yet. I’ll just go back to the hotel, find some painkillers and take a shower before the signing starts.”  
“I wasn’t gonna bring it up, but that’s probably an excellent idea,” Steven granted him a light smile, “Go take a shower and come back with a clear head.”  
Peter rushed out of the building and headed straight towards the hotel next door. Two hours before he started signing autographs. That was enough time to start curing his hangover, take a shower and talk to Jenna.

* * *

Jenna checked her look in the mirror and realized that not even the shower had been able to wash away the obvious remnants of last night. Her eyes were red, her skin the colour of ash and there were marks all over her body, some of those on her throat. Luckily she had brought a scarf along and she would need it to hide them.  
With a sigh she sank back down on her bed. She was weak and she knew it. If one kiss was all it took to bring her to make the same mistakes all over again, Jenna really prayed that Peter wouldn't come back to talk to her. She had missed him and she was still in love and right now she was ready to just throw all her good intentions over board to be with him. She wasn't over him and he wasn't over her despite her efforts, despite her lying to him.Three months and she still missed him terribly as if her heart would never heal. But that was over now. From now on Jenna vowed to remain strong.

Until there was a knock on her door.

“Jenna, it's me,” Peter said from the other side, “Can I come in?”  
“No. Go away,” she told him. At least if the door stayed closed he couldn't try to kiss her again. Or look at her. As long as he wasn't in the same room everything would be fine.  
“You said we'd talk later.”  
“Yeah, still later,” she replied.  
Even through the door she heard him sigh. “Later we have photos to take and autographs to sign and before we know it we'll be on the plane back to London. Please, just give me five minutes.”  
Nothing bad could possibly happen within five minutes, could it? Of course it could. But still Jenna rose from her seat and walked up to the door. However once her hand touched the door handle she hesitated.  
“If I let you in,” Jenna paused, “You need to promise me that you won't try to change my mind.”  
“I can't promise you that,” he replied softly.  
“Well, then you'll stay outside. Talk about whatever you want from where you are. I can hear you loud and clear.”  
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned against the wall, waiting for him to start talking.  
“Well?”  
“Jenna, there are a couple of things I'd rather not say out here on the corridor where anyone could hear them,” Peter explained cautiously.  
“That's hardly my problem,” she spat back.  
“Fine,” he hissed, “First: I haven't been with my wife since we first slept together. Second: I can't stop thinking about-”  
Jenna shot around and instantly tore the door open, dragging Peter inside before he could finish his sentence. “Peter, you madman!” she shouted at him, “You can't say these things in public!”  
“That's what I was trying to tell you, Jenna, but you wouldn't let me in,” he replied defensively, waving his arms around like he always did when he was talking about something he felt passionate about.  
Jenna quickly took a few steps back. She shouldn't stand too close to him or he might try to kiss her again and then where would they be? She needed to stray strong for just five minutes without giving in to the puppy dog look on his face.  
Finally she took a deep breath. “Okay, fine, let's talk.”  
Even though she tried hard Jenna couldn't really look him in the eyes. Last night hadn't really helped her get over Peter. Quite the opposite. It still hurt and he was still hurting and it made everything worse.  
“I want you back, Jenna,” Peter said after a moment and his voice had gone a little quieter, “I _need_ you back. I didn't plan any of this. Not America, not what we did yesterday. It just happened and I haven't been the same man since. Something has changed.”  
“That's normal, Peter,” Jenna sighed in reply, trying to reason with him as best as she could, “You're a good man and you feel guilty about what happened. It will go away.”  
“No, it won't, and it's not your fault, it's mine,” he admitted, “I never was the cheating type and even now I'm not. When Elaine made me that offer I chose you because I love you and I hadn't even realized it then. My marriage was over the day I chose to sleep with you.”  
Jenna snorted in reply. “No, you can still fix it. You just haven't tried.”  
“I don't wanna try,” Peter confessed, “Elaine's husband, that man, _that Peter_ , he doesn't exist anymore. He cheated and there is no going back from there. He cheated and lied and he doesn't even feel sorry about it.”  
She flinched when he suddenly reached for her arms. Jenna hadn't even noticed how he had stepped closer to her but she also didn't want him to let go. The warmth coming from his body, his touch, it felt so good, so familiar, so much like home.  
“I can't be with Elaine. It doesn't feel right. It feels like I'm cheating on _you_ ,” Peter said quietly and finally Jenna looked at him.  
“I know you don't love me but-”  
“I lied,” she whispered and instantly lowered her gaze again.  
“What?”  
“I lied. So you would go back to Elaine. I do love you.”

Suddenly something unexpected happened. Peter started to laugh. When Jenna looked back up at him she couldn't help but frown, but before she could ask about it Peter had bent down and pressed a kiss to her lips and the question instantly slipped her mind. He was kissing her and it was all she had really wanted. Until he pulled away.  
“You've been reading too many of Steven's scripts, I think,” Peter was still laughing for some reason, cupping her face so gently in both his hands, “Remember when Clara lied to the Doctor so he could go and be happy on Gallifrey?”  
“I hope you're not comparing your wife to a planet now-”  
Jenna was interrupted by yet another kiss and this time she couldn't fight it. She wouldn't fight him about this ever again.


	25. Reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the "finally"s :D Now, let's see what's in store for them after their reunion. . .

There was only one thought left in her head as Peter wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on top of him as they landed on her bed. She had him back. It didn't matter what came after, but right now, at this moment, Peter was hers and it was the best feeling in the entire world. He kissed her until she was starting to run out of breath, until her lips felt numb and she loved every second of it. She knew that not everything was well, that Elaine was still his wife and that it could all turn ugly any moment – but none of that mattered even a little right now. She had missed him for long enough.  
Jenna laughed when he pulled away, gasping for air, but Peter's face remained serious. “Don't ever leave me again because you think you know better,” he whispered, looking straight at her.  
“I won't,” she said with a smile and let him kiss her again. Jenna would have loved to stay like this all day, if it hadn't been for her growling stomach and the convention appointments that they both had to keep.  
“Hey,” she whispered once they had parted lips once more, “How about we go downstairs and grab something from the breakfast menu before we go back to the con?”  
Peter's arms pulled her closer against his chest. “What breakfast? What con? I have all that I need right here.”  
When he locked their lips once more Jenna gave in too eagerly. On his own Peter would never find the will to let her go, so she did the reasonable thing and jumped up from their lying position once he needed to take a breath.  
“Come back!” he complained grumpily, “I wasn't done with that.”  
Jenna granted him her best smile. “Peter, I'm starving and I'm pretty sure you're hungry, too.”  
He frowned at her. “That's not fair. I'm always hungry.”  
“Then come on,” she prompted him and reached for her coat. Peter obviously realized he had no chance but to follow her.

They headed downstairs together, smiling at each other whenever their eyes met and Jenna was determined to enjoy the moment and not let her doubts interfere with her happiness. Would he actually, truly leave Elaine for her? How would that work? What about everything else that was related to the public?  
“Seems like breakfast time is over. Wanna go back upstairs?”  
To her dismay Jenna realized that Peter was right as she watched the staff clean up the rest of the plates. She was hungry, really hungry.  
Peter sighed next to her. “Alright, I suppose we could order something. You're right, I'm hungry, too.”  
Jenna granted him another smile and sank down at the nearest table, pushing her doubts and questions further away. This moment was too good to be ruined. Peter was here, they had confessed their feelings, she felt happy. With a bit of luck the rest would fall into place.  
“We'll have two omelettes and two large coffees, please,” Peter's voice tore her from her thoughts and Jenna realized that the waiter had appeared. She nodded in his direction to confirm the order before she noticed that Peter was grinning at her again. Jenna chuckled. “Peter, if you continue to stare like that the whole world will have figured us out in a matter of minutes.”  
“Can't help it,” he replied and placed his hand on the table, only millimetres away from her own. Jenna stretched her arm a little until their fingertips brushed.  
“How's your head?” she asked him after a moment.  
Peter let out a low groan. “Staying far away from mixing liquor and wine for a while,” he said, gently caressing her fingertips with his own. It took him a moment, but the smile was soon back on his face. “Although _you_ make it a little better.”  
“There you are!”  
Jenna pulled her hand away as soon as she heard Steven's voice. He smiled at them both before he took a seat at their table.  
“Good morning, Jenna,” he greeted her happily, “Have you read the script?”  
“Not yet,” she replied and glanced towards Peter, smiling. Now that everything between them was fine she could say yes without a second thought to it, “But I'll be happy to come back.”  
“You haven't even read the script,” Steven argued but Jenna didn't even look at him. The happiness on Peter's face was all the confirmation she needed.  
“I'm sure it's great,” she replied absent-mindedly.  
“It is,” Peter confirmed, looking her straight into the eyes. If it truly involved a kiss the fans would be ecstatic. And right now there was nothing Jenna would rather do than practice for that particular scene.  
Steven cleared his throat next to them. “Well, I don't wanna interrupt further. See you both at the con,” he rose from his seat, “And I'm glad at least one of you has made up their mind.”

* * *

Pearl had fallen asleep the second their plane had left the ground and Peter could feel the exhaustion creep up on him as well. The convention, the jet lag, the hangover that still hadn't faded entirely and the wisest choice would be to use the 7 hour flight to sleep because when they arrived back in London it would already be Sunday noon. When the sign telling them to wear their seatbelt was switched off Peter turned around to where Jenna was sitting a few rows behind him. The seat next to her was still empty. Quickly he unbuckled his belt and walked down the corridor to join her.  
“You are an idiot,” she growled at him when he made an attempt to sit down.  
A little taken aback Peter frowned at her but still slipped into the empty seat. “Why? Cause I wanna sit here? Pearl is sleeping and I'm bored,” he complained.  
“No,” she glared at him, “Because of what you said at your panel this morning.”  
“Oh,” he uttered, quickly averting his eyes, “So you've heard of that.”  
“Yes, I've heard of that,” Jenna spat in a hushed voice, “Fans talk. Especially when they're excited.”  
Peter exhaled sharply. If the fans were talking about it, if that part of the panel ended up online and Elaine saw it. . . He felt as confused as ever, not sure whether Jenna actually wanted to stay with him, how he would tell Elaine. The thought of it all seemed a little too overwhelming for his current state of mind. But at least he had Jenna back.  
“I guess we should talk, too,” he admitted after a moment.  
“This isn't exactly the place.”  
“No, but Elaine is gone for the weekend and I thought we could go either to your house or mine and. . . discuss things,” Peter said in a low voice.  
“Peter,” Jenna turned to look at him and he spotted the same confusion and fear he felt on her face, “Are you sure?”  
“No,” he whispered, “But I'm sure that these last three months were terrible and I don't want to relive them. Something has to change.”  
Jenna nodded softly. “Okay,” she agreed quietly, “We'll go to my place, we'll talk. It's not like it could get any worse.”  
“No, only better,” Peter smiled and reached out to take her hand. It was an innocent enough gesture. Even if people saw, it didn't matter, but he needed to hold her.  
With her other hand Jenna reached into her bag, retrieving her iPod, and offering him one of the earplugs. Wordlessly he took it and leaned back in his seat as the first chords of _Moonshadow_ started to play. Still holding her hand Peter let the soft music lull him to sleep.


	26. This Tiny Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments :)  
> That was all the angst, wasn't it? WASN'T IT?

As soon as the door closed behind them Peter dropped his bags on the floor and flung his arms around her, holding her so tightly that Jenna thought she couldn't breathe.  
“I've missed you,” he whispered close to her ear, “You can't believe how much.”  
“Yes, I can,” she breathed in reply.  
Suddenly his hands reached for her face, cupping her cheeks before he bent down to kiss her and Jenna instantly yielded to him. Three months. Three whole months without him during which she had dreamed of doing just this every single day.  
Peter smiled when he pulled away and looked at her as if he wanted to memorize her face. “Hey, let's have a lazy day,” he suddenly suggested, “Let's put on our pyjamas, order pizza, turn on the telly and kiss some more.”  
Jenna raised her eyebrows at him. “Didn't you come here to _talk_?”  
“We can turn down the volume of the telly,” he shrugged.  
“Fine,” Jenna agreed, giggling, “Put on your pyjamas. I'll order pizza.”

An hour later Jenna pushed the empty pizza box back on the table and leaned back into Peter's embrace, covering herself with the blanket. It was the perfect thing to do on a rainy Sunday and there was no one she would rather spend it with than Peter. He hadn't finished eating yet and was flipping through something on his phone rather absent-mindedly while she had her tablet in front of her, reading the script Steven had sent her.  
“This is heartbreaking!” Jenna complained after a moment, only to have the tablet taken away from her a moment later, “Hey!”  
“I think we'll save that for 2018,” Peter explained with a smile.  
“Does that mean-”  
He nodded serenely. “I'm staying for another year.”  
Jenna couldn't help but smile at him, thinking that it was the right decision. He loved being the Doctor and he and Pearl worked so well together that it would have been a waste not to use the opportunity. “That's great,” she replied sincerely.  
Suddenly his features turned a little more serious and he cleared his throat before he put the pizza aside and spoke again. “I also want to stay with you,” he sighed, “I don't think I've quite digested everything that has happened lately, but I think my marriage is at an end.”  
“Are you sure about that?” Jenna asked back, “You and Elaine, you've been-”  
“It's not the same anymore,” he admitted wearily, “I've fallen in love with you and I've tried, I've tried to make it work with Elaine, but I can't. I just can't get that feeling back. Too much has happened and, to be honest, I don't really want to work on it anymore. I just want to be with you. I've spent these last three months missing you and I've waited for it to go away, but it doesn't.”  
“So you're going to leave Elaine?”  
With a sigh Peter sank back against the sofa and closed his eyes. “That's the next logical step, isn't it? I just don't know how or when or what I'm going to tell her.”  
“You're scared and it's okay,” Jenna told him gently and reached for his hand, “It's a huge step and I won't rush you into it.”  
“I'm terrified,” he whispered and opened his eyes again to look at her, “There's 25 years of marriage and the house and. . . Cissy.”  
Peter pulled his hand away from her and covered his face, groaning. “I really don't know how I'm going to do this.”  
“You'll figure it out,” she said quietly, “Take all the time you need, okay? I know it's a tough thing to do.”  
He lowered his hands again and looked at her once more. Peter seemed so lost that Jenna wished she could just take the weight of this decision from him. But unfortunately that was something he had to do on his own. And Jenna would have his back no matter what. She wasn't going to let him go. Not again.

* * *

Peter bent down to kiss her again as she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him in deeper and he moaned into her mouth. The feeling of her around him was the best in the entire world and he was close, so close. Suddenly Jenna broke the kiss and gasped for air, her nails digging into his back as if holding on for dear life. A moan died out at the back of her throat as she came, her walls tightening around him so deliciously that he couldn't help but go faster, plunging into her until he was overcome by his own orgasm and Peter froze, spilling himself inside her seconds later.  
He was still panting when Jenna brought their lips together for a sloppy kiss and he collapsed next to her in bed, waiting for his breathing to return to normal.  
Jenna giggled next to him. “We should break up more often,” she joked, “The reunion sex is fantastic.”  
Peter glared at her, his head still feeling a little clouded. “Not worth it.”  
She smiled back at him and Peter knew she was joking, yet just the idea of going through these last three months again was horrible.  
“You're right,” Jenna replied with a sigh, “Let's just have the reunion sex without the break up.”  
Peter reached out to take her hand, their fingers instantly tangling in each other and there was a question weighing on his mind. It was a stupid one, but he still felt the need to ask. “That's not why you want to be with me, is it? Not just the physical. . . stuff?”  
Jenna smiled at him. “No, silly. I want the entire Peter package.”  
He scoffed. “What? The grey haired, old man with his dad tummy and geeky Doctor Who collection?”  
“Exactly,” Jenna confirmed, now seeming utterly serious, “I love you. You're the best person I've ever met. You're funny and kind and gentle and I want to be with you. And we'll find a spot for your Doctor Who collection.”  
“Jenna, we should talk about this,” he said earnestly even though she was smiling at him. She was happy right now, but she probably wasn't thinking ahead. “I am much older than you and once we go public, this could have an impact on our careers as well. I don't care much about mine, I've been Doctor Who now, so that's my life goal achieved, but _you_ -”  
“We'll figure this out in time,” she said gently, “We both want to be together, we'll find a way. But can't we just have this tiny moment before you head back to Cardiff? Just you and me and no worries.”  
Peter sighed and nodded eventually. Sunday had flown by so quickly and a glance at the clock told him that it was already 9 am. He would be leaving for Cardiff in just a few hours and they had both agreed that this time Jenna would not be coming with him. He had a work schedule to keep up and a lot of things to think about, especially the matter of how to end his marriage.  
“I'm gonna miss you,” he confessed.  
“I'm gonna miss you, too.”


	27. The Daily Mail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments. Warning: some angst on the horizon!

“I miss you!” Peter complained into the phone as he sank down on his bed in Cardiff.  
Jenna chuckled on the other end of the line. “You can't miss me. We've barely been separated for four hours.”  
“That's too many hours,” he grumbled in reply. The flat felt strange, empty as it was, when he had so gotten used to her presence again in the last 24 hours. He loved her and he didn't want to spend even a single minute apart. “Are you sure you don't want to spend a few more days in Cardiff?”  
“Peter,” she warned him, “We agreed. You need time to think and I have some things to do in London, starting with cleaning my house and the photo shoot for Victoria tomorrow.”  
He sighed. “Yeah, you're right. I just thought how lovely it would be if I came home from the read-through tonight and you were here.”  
“We will see each other again, Peter,” Jenna's voice was filled with laughter and she was probably right. He was behaving like a ridiculous teenager. Then her tone grew a little more serious once more. “But you have to clear your head and there are things that need to be settled.”  
“Like ending my marriage.”  
She hesitated. “Yeah. . . like that.”  
There was a pause between the two of them and Peter felt the need to say something, but nothing would come to mind. If he was completely honest, he didn't want to think about ending it with Elaine because he knew how painful it would be. But he would have to do it eventually. It was the only way he could keep Jenna.  
“Don't you have a read-through to attend?” she asked him after a while and finally Peter scrambled back into a sitting position.  
“Yeah,” he breathed in reply, “You're right.”  
“Go,” she chuckled, “You don't want them to fire you when you've just decided to stay on.”  
“Right,” Peter said, “Talk to you tonight?”  
“You can bet on that,” Jenna replied and he could hear her grin even through the phone.

* * *

Peter made his way into the building and somehow it seemed changed. For the last few months he had been dragging himself to work, not really giving his best and just drifting through his work days but now it had once more turned into the place where he felt he needed to be. He was the Doctor. It all seemed to make sense again. And he had Jenna. Life could hardly be better.  
Then he spotted Steven on the corridor ahead of him.  
“Hey, Steven, wait up,” Peter called out and walked a little faster to catch up with him, “I've got something to tell you.”  
Steven stopped and waited, but Peter also noticed that he was raising his eyebrows. “You look happy, so I hope this is good news,” he commented.  
“Very good. I've decided to stay,” Peter announced excitedly when he came to a halt next to Steven.  
He, however, still eyed him with suspicion. “You're in a good mood. You finally made a decision about your career,” he paused, “You didn't get lucky last weekend, did you?” Steven joked and burst into laughter, giving Peter a friendly nudge.  
_Oh, if he knew._ Peter forced a smile, trying to ban the thought about Jenna from his mind. If he thought about her now, the smile on his face would surely give him away. “I'm assuming Chris will be happy about that?”  
“Oh, he'll be ecstatic,” he confirmed, but his features soon took on a sombre note again, “But you've thought about this, right? Peter, you know how much the fans love you and how much we want you to stay, but you have to want it. I mean, last weekend-”  
“Won't ever happen again, I promise,” Peter interrupted him, “I was having a bit of a rough time lately, but it's all good now. I _want_ to stay.”  
Still Steven didn't seem entirely convinced. “Was is something with Jenna? You can tell me, Peter, and I'm not blind. When Jenna realized you'd be attending the convention, too, I thought she was going to back out. And the next thing I see is the two of you sitting together at lunch like in the old days and there was literally no room for anyone else at that table.”  
Peter sighed in reply. “You're right. We had a spat and that was part of the reason I've been moody, but we cleared that up. It's fine, I promise.”  
Finally Steven's features lightened up. “Good. It better be cause you made it into the yellow press today,” he laughed and held up what Peter thought was a copy of The Daily Mail and his heart suddenly sank. Oh dear God. Had they found something out?  
“What is it?” Peter asked, hoping his voice didn't betray how horrified he was, and tore the paper from Steven's hands.  
He laughed. “Don't bother with that. It's just the usual shit they write. I brought it for you because the picture is, frankly, adorable and I thought you might want to see it.”

When Peter opened the pages it didn't take him long to find what he had been looking for and he had to try very hard to keep his shaking hands under control. If Elaine saw this, all hell would break loose. If Jenna saw this, all hell would break loose. The picture would have indeed been adorable under any other circumstances as it showed them on the plane, sleeping in their seats with their heads leaned on each other and holding hands. _Time Lord cuddles up to former companion._  
“Great,” Peter whispered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
“Oh, they write that stuff all the time, Peter,” Steven tried to reassure him, “It's not that bad. The important people know the Mail for the pile of crap it is.”  
“Right,” he breathed in reply, but couldn't tear his gaze away from the article that went on an on about how close the two of them were.  
“Okay, let's get going or they might start the read-through without us,” Steven gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder and resumed walking along the corridor.  
Peter was about to follow him when he suddenly felt the phone in his pocket vibrate. He pulled it out and saw the exact name he had been dreading to read on his display. Elaine.  
“Are you coming or not?” Steven called after him.  
With a sigh Peter slid the phone back into his pocket where it soon ceased to ring and he started following Steven to the read-through. He didn't have the guts to talk to Elaine. Not now.


	28. Telling Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments :) Mhhh, is that angst I smell?

Pearl beamed at him as they headed outside. “I'm so glad you've decided to stay. It's gonna be exciting with Chris.”  
“Mh-mh,” Peter replied absent-mindedly as he checked his phone and noticed two more missed calls from Elaine on his screen. She had seen the article, he was sure of it. But he wasn't yet ready for that kind of talk. Not when he still didn't even remotely know what he was supposed to tell her. For how long could he postpone it?  
“Peter? Hello? This is Earth to Peter, are you receiving?” Pearl asked mockingly and finally he looked up at her, suddenly realising that he had obviously missed quite a bit of what she had said.  
“Sorry, I-”  
He was cut off when the phone in his hands rang again and this time even Pearl could see the name spelled out in large letters.  
“Oh, you want to talk to your wife. I'll be off then,” Pearl said but stopped in her movement when Peter simply slid the phone back into his pocket with a sigh.  
Apparently she had read the expression from his face because a few moments later Pearl spoke again. “Okay, once more, none of my business, but are you guys okay? I know we haven't talked so much on set lately after. . . well, you know, . . . but you did seem a bit moody, “ she went on, “We've agreed to be friends, so if you don't want to tell me, that's okay, but friends should also be there for each other.”  
Peter looked around and noticed that there wasn't anyone else there on the corridor. All the others had already left. “I may have neglected to call my wife last weekend while we were at the convention,” he confessed, “I think she's a little mad by now.”  
“You haven't called her since Friday? It's Monday evening!” Pearl gawked at him, “You can bet that she is a little mad.”  
“Well, in my defence, she hasn't called either,” Peter mumbled in reply.  
“So,” her features softened a little, “I guess not everything's okay between you two?”  
Peter inhaled sharply. “No,” he breathed eventually, “I'm afraid not.”  
“Do you want to talk about it?” she offered.  
Peter granted her a soft, sad smile. “Better not. I don't want to drag you into the middle of this mess.”  
Pearl shrugged. “I don't know her as well as you do, but from what I know Jenna seems to be worth it.”

For a moment Peter froze, not knowing just how Pearl had put the pieces of this puzzle together. Were they that obvious? Steven had known something was off. Pearl, who didn't even really know Jenna, knew that something was off. How long before the rest of the world figured it out?  
“Relax,” Pearl smiled at him, “I won't tell a soul.”  
“How?” he blurted out, “How do you know?”  
“It was a bold guess, I admit. But I've seen the way you look at her, the way she looks at you. I've seen you on the plane together. I've noticed it when I watched the old clips from the World Tour and the interviews you did together while I was preparing for the show. It's like there's this bubble around the two of you that no one else can breach, so it doesn't surprise me.”  
“You're not judging me,” Peter raised his eyebrows, “I'm a married man in my 50s, Jenna is a young and beautiful woman.”  
She shrugged in reply. “We've already discussed that it's not my place to judge anything. Whatever works, I guess,” Pearl gave him a smile and pointed at his trouser pocket, “Talk to your wife though. She might be more worried than mad.”

Peter watched Pearl head down the corridor and sighed. She was right, he had to talk to Elaine. Gathering up all his courage he took out the phone once more and dialled her number.  
“Hey,” he greeted her in the most cheerful tone he could muster, “I was at the read-through. Sorry I didn't call earlier.”  
At first there was no reply from Elaine at all, then, after a long moment of hesitation, she finally spoke, but her voice sounded weak and insecure, not like the voice that he knew. “I'm glad you've called.”  
Peter blew the air out between his teeth in relief.  
“I'm sorry, I know I should have called you over the weekend, but it was really, really hectic. I know it's not an excuse, but-”  
“I've seen your photo with Jenna,” she interrupted him sharply, “I've seen the article.”  
“Well, you know the press, they-”  
Again his wife didn't even let him finish. “You didn't mention that she'd be there, too. When I saw the photo I-,” she broke off, “I know I said I was okay with it, but I'm not. Not really. You didn't call and. . . my mind went to all sorts of places.”  
Peter had no idea what to say. He couldn't possibly tell her over the phone and he also couldn't let on that her fears were quite reasonable. There was only one thing he could do. And that was to lie.  
“Elaine, there is really nothing you need to worry about. Even I didn't know Jenna would be there. It was sort of a last minute thing, I guess, I learned about it when I met her at the airport,” he explained and one half of it was even true. He hadn't known she would be there.  
“I don't like the fact that you're so close. Not anymore,” Elaine admitted and she sounded scared, a fact that hurt him more deeply than he would have thought.  
“The weekend was tiring. We just fell asleep on the plane, nothing more,” he paused, “Hey, how about I come home on Saturday?”  
Elaine sighed. “I'd like that,” she admitted.  
“Good, I'll be home on Saturday,” he concluded and started walking towards the exit, “And now I should probably go home before they lock me up in the building.”  
“Was it fun at least? The convention?”  
Peter scoffed. “Jetlag. Bit more wine than was good for me. And putting on a painful smile for the fans so they wouldn't realize their Doctor was hungover beyond reason.”  
“Oh Peter,” Elaine finally laughed, “You should know better.”  
“Yeah,” he sighed, “Yeah, I really should.”  
“Alright. Go home, I'll see you on Saturday,” she said.  
“See you.”

As soon as Peter had stepped out of the building, the phone still in his hands, he made a decision. He would tell her next weekend. He had to tell her. This game he was playing couldn't go on for much longer. Pearl knew. Steven suspected something. He was hurting Elaine a little more the longer it went on and Jenna was waiting for him to make a move. It had to happen.  
When he had dialled her number Jenna picked up on the spot. “Hey Peter,” she chuckled, “Calling to say that you still miss me?”  
Peter let out a heavy sigh. “Am I that transparent?”  
“Sometimes, yeah.”  
“I'm gonna tell her next weekend. I have to. This is driving me insane. I'm coming back to London,” he blurted out.  
Jenna paused for a moment. “Okay. I guess it's reasonable to do it as quickly as possible.”  
“Can I see you on Friday?” Peter asked, “Please, I need all the courage and reassurance I can find. And you're right. I miss you like mad.”  
“Are you sure that's a good idea?”  
“No,” he replied, “But I need to see you.”  
He heard Jenna sigh on the other end of the line. “Alright. I'll see you on Friday.”


	29. How Long Until. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments :D Now, will Peter finally tell her the truth?

As soon as the door had closed behind him Jenna felt Peter's arms around her and he was hugging her tightly, almost preventing her to breathe. Jenna closed her arms around him in return, enjoying his warmth. They had been apart for far too long.  
“I've missed you,” this time it was Jenna who said it first.  
Peter chuckled, but still didn't let her go. “Stealing my lines again.”  
Finally they broke their embrace and Peter immediately bent down, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her for the longest moment.  
“I've missed you, too,” he admitted with a sigh before he quickly hugged her once more.  
“Are you hungry?” Jenna asked him, “I'm sure we can wrap something up in the- uhhh!”  
She let out a surprised squeak when Peter suddenly lifted her up even though his back was probably not thanking him for it and twirled her around the corridor. She laughed when he put her back down, but she didn't have time to ask what had gotten into him when he kissed her again, more passionately this time and his hands were already starting to fumble with her blouse. His touch immediately started a fire in her loins and Jenna longed for their kisses as much as he did, and yet she stopped him.  
Peter came look at her, his gaze so confused that it almost changed her mind. “Is something wrong?”  
“I've been thinking,” Jenna admitted cautiously, “We're doing a really bad thing here. Morally.”  
“You're not gonna leave me again, are you?” Peter asked her, the terror all too audible in his voice.  
“No. Not at all,” she replied instantly. God, what a horrible thought. “But I was thinking that maybe we should take a step back. Until you've told Elaine.”  
“That's gonna be tomorrow,” he stated plainly.  
“I know, but-,” Jenna broke off, taking a deep breath. “I love you and I love every moment we spend together, but there is always this voice in the back of my head that's nagging me, making me feel guilty about it. I want us to start over, with a clean slate. No secrets. No lying. No guilt. Just you and me.”  
Peter raised his eyebrows at her. “Can we still cuddle?”  
A laugh came over her lips. “Of course we can cuddle. I demand that we cuddle.”  
“Good,” Peter concluded and closed her arms back around her, “Cause I need that today more than anything else.”

An hour later they had settled on the sofa, eating dinner and watching a cheesy film and Jenna had swung her legs over Peter's lap because she hated it when they weren't touching at all. She never wanted to let go of him ever again.  
“How long do you think we should wait until we can. . . you know. . . have it out in the open?” Peter asked her after a while, his eyes fixed on his plate of spaghetti.  
“Are you eager for the press to tear our relationship apart in the newspapers?” Jenna frowned at him.  
“Of course not,” he replied calmly, “But I don't want to hide forever. I want to be able to do stuff with you, even if it's just going for a walk or out for dinner.”  
“We've gone out for dinner or coffee before and the press hasn't said a thing about it,” she reasoned.  
Peter let out a sigh. “But it's different. It's going to be different. I don't mean that I want to snog you in front of a running camera, but just holding your hand like I did on the plane and, to be fair, that did end up in the newspapers, or-”  
“Wait, what?” she gawked at him. That was the first time she heard of it.  
“Someone took a photo of us sleeping on the plane and the Mirror printed it with a nice headline about us cuddling,” Peter admitted, “So, yeah, at some point they will be onto us.”  
“We'll figure it out, Peter,” Jenna reassured him, “But first you need to talk to Elaine. We'll see what happens after.”  
She watched him nod before Peter put his plate aside and wrapped his hands around her feet to massage them softly. Jenna leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes, enjoying the quiet and his comforting touch. She had no idea how they would handle the press, but there had to be a way. A lot of things had stood in their way and that wouldn't be one of them.

* * *

When Peter stepped into the house his feet felt heavy and his stomach was clenching at the thought of what he was about to do. Over 20 years of marriage and he was about to end it all.  
But he would end it to be with Jenna, the woman that made him feel more alive than he had felt in a decade. Some days Peter still found it hard to believe that a woman like her could love him, but it was real and he wanted it. Not that it made breaking up his marriage any easier.  
Peter was surprised when he stepped further into the house and found most of it in darkness. “Elaine?” he called out but there was no reply. Okay, that wasn't good. That wasn't good at all.  
Eventually Peter looked inside the bedroom and found Elaine in bed, sleeping. There was a whole array of meds and different teacups on her bedside table and the air reeked of Tiger Balm.  
“Elaine?” he asked quietly as he stepped closer and shortly after he could hear her cough.  
“Better stay away,” she croaked in reply, “I have the flu.”  
Peter's heart sank when he realized what exactly that meant. Elaine was ill and he couldn't tell her. He couldn't possibly have that conversation with her while she was already feeling miserable.  
Peter cleared his throat. “Would you like me to make you a cup of tea? Or some soup?” he asked and prayed that his voice didn't give away his disappointment. He had come here to finally gather his courage and tell her the truth and now his plans had been for nothing. All the things he had practised in front of the mirror had been in vain.  
“Yeah,” Elaine replied quietly.

When Peter walked back downstairs into the kitchen he was cursing the world and cursing Elaine's flu for the horrible timing. He had loved her for so long and a part of him still did and since he was going to inflict a lot of pain on her, Peter just wanted to get it over with quickly before it got even worse. But how could he now? His thoughts wandered back to Jenna as well and how she would wait for him to tell her how it had gone and he would have to disappoint her once more. It wasn't fair. None of it was even remotely fair to any of them.  
Armed with a bowl of soup and some tea Peter went back into the bedroom twenty minutes later and carefully set them down on the bedside table.  
“Thanks,” Elaine granted him a soft smile that he could barely see in the darkness as she scrambled into a sitting position.  
“If you need anything else, just say the word,” he told her for lack of anything else to say.  
“No, just you,” she replied and Peter felt as if someone was driving a dagger into his chest, “It started yesterday evening and I considered calling you to tell you that you don't have to come all the way to London. But then I thought that I'd really love to see you and I decided to be selfish.”  
Peter swallowed hard. Hearing how much Elaine missed him didn't aid to making him feel better. Quite the opposite. “It's fine, I don't mind,” he replied and forced himself to chuckle, “But I will take the guest bedroom because I'm really not keen on getting the flu as well.”  
“Fine by me,” Elaine smiled in reply and reached for the soup.  
Peter sighed and sank down on the bed next to her. It was going to be a long weekend and an even longer week until he could finally tell her the truth.


	30. The Panel Question

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the comments :D Ohhh, are they in trouble now?

“You've got five minutes until my panel starts,” Jenna giggled as she picked up the phone.  
“That's not exactly what I wanted to hear,” Peter replied and he sounded dead-tired. He had probably had a long day on set. With a sigh he continued. “I thought you were going to tell me a good night story.”  
“Not quite night here yet. I'm in America again, but there's one really important thing missing,” Jenna replied, thinking about him, about their first time, about their reunion. America was so connected to the two of them that she somehow felt empty without him by her side and she had to try very hard to push these thoughts away. Not until he had told Elaine. That was what she had told him and she would try her best to stick to it – despite the temptation.  
Peter chuckled. “Would that be me and the two of us making love all night in a lovely hotel bedroom?”  
The thought of it almost made her groan out loud. Jenna missed him too much. It was impossible to bear.  
“Peter, we talked about this,” she whispered into her phone just in case someone overheard their conversation, though whether she was talking to Peter or just reminding herself Jenna couldn't say, “Nothing of that sort until you've told her.”  
“Elaine's in Scotland this weekend and the next and I can't do this over the phone, you know that,” Peter argued immediately.  
Jenna sighed. “Of course I know that and I told you I understand, but in the meantime we just have to suck it up.”  
“I miss you,” he confessed, “I miss seeing you, waking up next to you, talking to you face to face and not just on the phone, kissing you, . . . making love.”  
“I miss all of that, too,” Jenna admitted, “And we'll have it soon enough. Then you won't get rid of me ever again and-”  
A young man suddenly burst into the room she was waiting in. “Hi, erm,” he blushed, “Your panel is about to start.”  
“I'll be right outside,” she said and nodded in the direction of her phone, indicating to him that she needed another moment of privacy. When he had left Jenna turned her attention back to Peter. “I guess you'll be asleep when I'm done here?”  
“I should think so, yeah. I'm half asleep already.”  
Jenna smiled into the phone. “Dream something nice of me,” she told him.  
“Will do. And you don't accept any marriage proposals. Tell them you're taken,” he joked.  
“If I did that, the press would be all over it tomorrow,” she replied, “Good night.”  
“Have fun.”

Jenna hung up and smiled to herself as she made her way to the stage, her heart beating a little faster than it usually did when she went on stage. All because of Peter and what a simple phone call with him did to her emotions. Maybe tomorrow she would call Peter and tell him she would visit soon, if only to see him for a moment. She would decide over the course of the day.  
The panel started like it always did, with questions about her character and her time on Doctor Who, about Victoria and Jenna answered them like she always did – with a smile on her face, thinking about Peter the entire time. Then a young girl stood up and was handed a microphone.  
“I just wanted to ask you,” the girl giggled nervously, “Do you have a crush on Peter Capaldi?”  
While the crowd immediately started laughing Jenna could feel her heart trying to jump out of her chest, hammering so loudly that she was hardly able to hear her own thoughts. Fuck! Had the fans figured them out? Did they know? Did they suspect what was going on? She needed to say something. Anything. The crowd was already staring at her expectantly.  
“I don't even know how to respond,” she laughed, trying to play it as cool as possible even though she was nervous. Yes, best to act as if she had never expected that question, “I'm speechless.”  
Okay, what should she say next? That wasn't an answer at all and the audience expected an answer. One Jenna couldn't give, at least not a truthful one. So instead Jenna decided to take the easy road and told the story the fans had heard about a hundred times, about how she and Peter had met for breakfast for the first time and how he had insisted that there would be no romance between their characters. That was a good, safe bet. People would just assume she had misunderstood the question and thought about their characters instead.  
Once the audience had started laughing about her bad Scottish accent Jenna took a deep breath, wishing that Peter was there with her. She needed him right now.

* * *

Peter was surprised when the door bell rang and he threw his script aside to see who was disturbing him on a Sunday afternoon. He was even more surprised when he opened the door and looked straight into Jenna's face.  
“Jenna, I didn't expect-”  
He broke off when she dropped her suitcase and flung her arms around him in a tight hug, not letting go for a long moment.  
“Is everything alright?” Peter asked her gently when he hugged her in return.  
“Peter, I think we're in trouble,” she breathed and in response he held her a little more tightly.  
“What makes you say that, sweetheart?”  
Finally Jenna broke the embrace and looked at him and Peter instantly knew that something was troubling her. So he picked up her suitcase and led her inside the living room. It didn't really matter what it was. They would find a way to fix it, but the important thing was that it had brought her here. He had missed her so much and no matter what circumstances had made her come here, Jenna's presence would make up for that.  
Once he had sat down Jenna started telling him about the convention she had been to the day before and the question she had been asked at the panel.  
“I think they suspect something,” she admitted, her voice low and careful.  
Peter smiled at her in response. “I think they're just nosy fans. Besides, I've never been asked anything like that before.”  
“Yeah, but you're married, so it would be awkward to ask you if you have a crush on me,” Jenna argued.  
He chuckled. “Not as awkward as the answer,” he said and reached for her hand, squeezing it softly.  
Finally Jenna smiled at him.  
“Don't worry,” he tried to calm her and suddenly realized why he wasn't the least bit worried himself. Peter didn't care. He would tell Elaine as soon as possible and what happened after didn't matter at all. He had Jenna and she was here right now. Everything was okay when she was with him.  
“Are you gonna stay for a bit?” he suddenly found himself asking.  
Jenna gave a soft nod. “Yeah, I'm exhausted. I actually want nothing more than a nap right now.”  
Peter bent forward and kissed her softly on the forehead. “Then go to bed. Once you're up we can go out and get something to eat. Okay?”  
Jenna smiled in reply. “Sounds perfect.”


	31. In Public

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments :) Damn, how long can their behaviour possibly go well?

Jenna sighed dreamily when she woke from her nap. She was lying in Peter's bed and his smell was all over it, that aftershave he used that she loved so much. It was soft and warm and utterly comfortable and only now Jenna was starting to become of aware of something tickling her neck and the arm that was holding her.   
“Did you sleep well?” Peter mumbled against her skin before he continued to leave a trail of wet kisses along her neck.   
“Mh-mh,” she hummed in reply and turned around in his embrace until their lips collided in a kiss. In some moments Jenna forgot that he was hers and every reminder just made her heart jump with joy and filled her stomach with butterflies. Peter was the most amazing man she had ever met and sometimes it all felt a little too good to be true.  
Reluctantly Peter pulled away from her. “Are you hungry?”  
“Starving,” Jenna admitted. She had come here straight from the airport and she had only had a snack at a train station.   
Peter smiled at her in reply. “Let's go and get something to eat. How about that little pizza place at the quay?”  
“Can't we just stay here and eat at home?” Jenna's face turned into a frown. She didn't really feel like dressing up and going out.  
Peter sighed. “We could, but all there is in the fridge is a massive black hole,” he admitted, “It's either grocery shopping or a restaurant.”  
Jenna made a grumbling sound in reply. “Fine,” she said after a moment, “Let's get pizza.”  
Yet before she could even attempt to get up Peter had pressed his lips on her own for another kiss and his arm was pulling her closer. Instantly he started grinding against her body, a sensation that shot right to her core. How long had it been since their last time? Jenna couldn't say, but it had definitely been too long and she was craving his touch like she was craving air.  
Peter groaned when she pulled away to catch her breath. “Jenna, darling,” he whispered huskily, still not letting her go, “I want you so much. Please, tonight-”  
A moan came over her lips when he trailed his mouth along her throat. “Yes,” she breathed in reply, “Fuck it. Let's ignore the guilty conscience one more time.”  
Suddenly Peter's lips were gone from her skin and he came back up to look at her, smiling broadly. “Don't worry. I'll distract you from your guilty conscience.”

Despite her growling stomach Jenna took a quick shower and changed her clothes, only now realizing that she hadn't really brought enough to stay for an entire week. She had simply grabbed her suitcase that she had packed for the convention and headed towards Cardiff. She reasoned that once Peter had told Elaine she could probably leave a few things here at his place and maybe. . . maybe they could get a place together after some time had passed.  
“Where do you think you'll stay,” Jenna began carefully as they walked through the Cardiff streets in the direction of Mermaid Quay, “After. . . you know, after you've told Elaine?”  
Peter blew the air out between his lips. “I haven't actually thought about that, to be honest. I guess Elaine will want to keep the house. I mean, she was the one who picked it out.”  
“Well, I'm not sure it would be such a good idea if you stayed at my place, at least not immediately. It's not just that the press would tear us apart, but it's generally not such a nice move. To go from one woman straight to the next.”  
“Yeah,” he sighed, “I supposed you're right. But eventually we'll move in together, right?”  
Jenna looked up and smiled at him. “Yes, eventually. My house has been too big for one person from the start. You know that one room where I currently keep the old furniture? That could be your room.”  
“My room?” Peter raised his eyebrows at her.  
“You know, for your things, hobbies. The art stuff and the guitars,” she suggested.  
He chuckled. “Ah, yes, my art stuff. Can't have that mingling with your designer dresses.”

Suddenly their conversation was interrupted when two girls appeared out of nowhere and came running towards them, giggling excitedly as they did.  
“Excuse me, could we take a selfie?” one of them asked immediately, her phone already in her hand.   
When Peter agreed Jenna instantly stepped aside to give the fans a moment with their Doctor, but the girl still looked at her.  
“Can I get a picture with both of you?”  
“Of course,” Peter replied before Jenna even had the chance to speak when she thought it was anything but a good idea. She knew how quickly these kind of pictures could spread online and maybe it wasn't the best idea to have the entire world know they were in Cardiff together. But now that Peter had agreed she could hardly say no.   
They posed for a selfie with each of the girls and stayed for a quick chat afterwards, avoiding questions about the upcoming season and whether Jenna might be in it before they could finally be on their way to get something to eat. By now Jenna was almost starving. 

“This is nice,” Peter said with a smile after the had sat down at the restaurant and the waiter had taken their order. He reached out and laid his hand on her own.  
“Peter,” she warned him quietly before she gently pulled her hand away, “We're still in public.”  
With a sigh he let his head sink. “I'm tired of this,” he admitted wearily, “I'm tired of the secrecy. I can't even hold your hand in public, I can't-”  
Peter broke off and looked back at her, his eyes betraying his despair and Jenna could imagine how he felt. She wanted them to be together, too, but she also knew that if Elaine found out about them in any other way than Peter telling her in private all hell would break loose. Elaine was a good woman. She deserved so much better than what they were already doing to her.  
“We'll have that very, very soon,” Jenna tried to calm him and now it was she who reached out and took his hand. They were in Cardiff. No one would see them in Cardiff on a Sunday evening. “Just two more weeks and you can tell her.”  
Peter nodded slowly and when their pizza came they ate mostly in silence. After that Jenna felt a little too tired to walk all the way back, so instead they called a taxi and when they were finally behind closed doors again Peter took her in his arms and kissed her as desperately as suited their current situation.


	32. Behind the Restaurant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I wasn't quite sure how to go on from the last point but universe-on-her-shoulders gave me an idea :D

_Please, come to the studios at 7. They're dragging me out for dinner. I don't want to spend our last evening without you._

Peter sent the message immediately after hearing that some of the cast and crew would meet for dinner after work. He had tried very hard to get out of it, but Steven has insisted and he was the star of the show after all – and he had also had plans with Jenna, which had included anything except leaving his flat. She would drive back to London the next day and he wanted to enjoy her company up to the last moment.  
His phone vibrated in his pocket as he made his way back from his trailer and Peter checked it only the see the message he hadn't wanted to see.

_I don't think it's a good idea to let them know I'm in Cardiff again._

Peter sighed and typed a reply. He would either make Jenna go with him or fake an aching knee to get out of it, but he would spend this evening with her.

_Just tell them you were passing through on your way to Swansea or something and you needed a place to crash. Please, Jenna, this is our last evening. Who knows when I'll see you again?_

He smiled when her reply simply read “Fine” and slid the phone back into his pocket. Maybe Jenna was right and it really wasn't the best idea, but Peter was so close to telling Elaine that it almost didn't matter. Soon nothing of it would matter at all because then he could be with Jenna and he didn't care what the rest of the world had to say about that, not when he had Jenna by his side. Peter realized that he was acting like a fool in love, but he was in his late 50s and on some days he could hardly believe that he had fallen in love like that once more at his age. If he was a fool, he was the luckiest fool of them all.

* * *

“Look everyone,” Steven shouted when they had finished their last scene, “Jenna's here!”  
Peter looked up just in time to see her give everyone a lovely smile and waved around the room. “Hello,” she giggled.  
Steven hugged her tightly while Peter stepped a little closer. “I didn't know you were here,” Steven said, “Did Peter know?”  
“Yeah,” Jenna explained with a smile still on her face, “I've got an appointment in Swansea tomorrow and needed a place to sleep tonight. It was all on very short notice.”  
“And she knew that I have a very lovely guest bedroom than she can take advantage of any time,” Peter added and placed his arm around Jenna's shoulder. As much as he would have loved to kiss her, he figured that snogging was probably a little too affectionate even for their standards.  
“Well, you're joining us for dinner, obviously,” Steven added cheerfully.  
“Obviously,” Jenna giggled and threw Peter a look that suddenly looked a lot more stern than he had anticipated and he knew what it was for. He was making her lie just so they could spend the evening together and he would have felt bad about it – but he was getting exactly what he wanted. He could use every little moment while she was still in Cardiff.

Peter knew the restaurant well; it was the crew's go-to spot after they had finished the shoot for the day and the food was nice. They had gathered a small crowd of 16 people and he was sitting in a corner with Jenna, Steven and Matt and Steven kept asking Jenna about Victoria and what other jobs she had on the horizon.  
“I really need to watch it. What you're telling me sounds great,” Steven commented after a while.  
“You should. Jenna is amazing as queen,” Peter said and stuffed another fork full of pasta in his mouth.  
Suddenly he felt Steven's gaze on him right as Jenna tapped his foot under the table. “You've seen it already?” he inquired curiously.  
“Erm,” Peter cleared his throat, not really knowing how to explain it. But luckily for him Jenna had the reasonable answer.  
“I mailed him the first two episodes cause he wouldn't stop asking about it,” she laughed and nudged him a little harder than he had expected. Oh, why did Steven have to insist on dinner when he could be back in his flat right now, alone with Jenna? He wanted so much to touch her, to hold her, kiss her, not sit here awkwardly and watch every word that slipped his mouth. Tomorrow she would go back to London and he would miss her every second she was gone.  
When Matt took over the conversation by telling a few stories about their early days on set Peter scanned the table with his eyes and realized that no one was paying any attention to him at all. So he dropped his hand under the table, hidden from sight under the tablecloth, and placed it on Jenna's leg.  
He could feel her twitch at the sudden contact but when he looked at her Peter saw a soft smile curl around the corners of her lips. His hand slid a little further up under her skirt, stroking its way up her inner thigh. Jenna's skin was so hot between her legs that the mere thought of spreading them to dive into the centre of her heat was making his cock twitch in anticipation. Still Jenna didn't protest, but she adjusted her sitting position and Peter knew that his touch was beginning to have an effect on her.  
“So, which costumes did you like more? The Victorian gowns you wore as Clara or Queen Victoria?” Steven asked after a moment. Peter had been so caught up in what he was doing that he hadn't even noticed that the topic had switched back to Jenna.  
“Oh,” she uttered, “Well, the were all lovely. But I don't think anything can compare to Victoria's wedding dress.”  
Jenna gave a nervous laugh and Peter could tell just how flustered she was. Maybe, if he continued, he could convince her to leave early.  
“My personal favourite was the barmaid dress,” Peter commented.  
Jenna turned around to look at him. “That's because you haven't seen the wedding dress yet.”  
And still Peter doubted that anything could beat the way Jenna had looked in that red barmaid gown.  
When the conversation moved on once more, Peter was beginning to grow a little tired of just teasing her underneath the table, especially since Jenna seemed to be composing herself well enough not to let it distract her too much while he was growing increasingly desperate for this dinner to end so he could finally take her home. Then Peter had a brilliant idea. While everyone was laughing at one of Steven's jokes he quickly bent closer to her ear.  
“Meet me outside, behind the restaurant,” he whispered and quickly drew out his phone, pretending to have received a call. “Excuse me for a moment. I have to take this.”

Peter made his way outside, pretending to talk to someone on the phone, and quickly found a good spot where he could wait for Jenna. It was already dark outside and the light was dim. No one would see them here.  
It took her a while, but after a few minutes Jenna stepped outside as well, looking more than a little puzzled.  
“Peter, is something wrong?” she asked him but, instead of replying, Peter walked up to her, closed his arms around her back and pulled her in for a kiss.  
“Peter,” she mumbled against his lips and gently pushed him off her, but he refused to let go of her altogether, “What's gotten into you?”  
“Let's go home,” he whispered and pulled her closer to him. It was cold outside and her body heat was tempting, making him wish they were in his bedroom instead of a restaurant. Peter tried to resist, yet he couldn't help but rub his own body against hers and it was causing his blood to slowly make its way south. “Please.”  
Finally Jenna yielded to his kiss and together they stumbled backwards against the wall and Peter held on to her so she didn't even have a chance to slip away again. God, they needed to go home immediately or else he might explode.  
Then suddenly Jenna tried to push him away once more, but Peter didn't want to stop kissing her lips. He just wanted to take her home or take her right here. He didn't care which one of these options.  
“Peter,” Jenna mumbled against his lips, “Peter, stop!”  
Finally, when her voice had taken on an urgent tone, he pulled away and was a little confused when Jenna immediately stepped away from him, her eyes fixed on something behind his back. When he turned around the only thing he saw was the blinding light of a camera flash before the figure hurried away.


	33. You Let Us Get Caught

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took so long, but I had one hell of a week :( I'm trying not to take so long with the remaining two chapters. And thank you all so much for the sweet comments!!!

Peter made an attempt to run after him. He was the Doctor, for God's sake, he was good at running by now. But then he felt Jenna's hand around his arm.  
“He's gone,” she told him, “You won't catch him.”  
Still he made an attempt to pull his arm free, yet Jenna wouldn't budge.  
“Peter, let it go,” she reminded him and her voice sounded a little angry.  
“I have to try,” Peter replied urgently, “We might be able to talk to him.”  
Jenna rolled her eyes. “Too late. He's seen us. He's taken pictures and tomorrow they'll be in the newspapers. There's nothing you can do about that now.”  
Finally she let go of his arm and turned away, facing the wall, and Peter heard her sigh.  
“We'll find a way to fix it,” he said without even meaning to, but he had the urge to comfort Jenna and that was the only way he knew how.  
“Too late!” her voice was loud and harsh when she shot back around, glaring at him, “You can't fix it! Not this time! We've been caught! _You_ let us get caught!”  
Peter took a step back, feeling a little shocked at her accusation until he realized that, of course, Jenna was right. It was his fault. He had insisted on her staying in Cardiff and he had invited her to join him outside the restaurant and he had kissed her despite her protests. If anyone was to blame, it was him. And now their relationship would be all over the news by tomorrow morning. News Elaine would read without a doubt. He had really fucked up this time.  
“I'm sorry, Jenna,” he replied in a low voice, “I didn't. . . that's not what I wanted. . . I. . . I'm sorry.”  
“You can save those apologies for Elaine,” Jenna spat and reached for the door handle to go back inside when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and turned back around, “On second thoughts, no, I think I deserve them as well. Because I will be the bad guy in this story! I'm gonna be the homewrecker! The press is gonna tear me apart and it's your damn fault!”  
“Excuse me?!” Peter gawked at her in her sudden outburst, “I thought it was what we both wanted! I thought we both agreed we wanted to be together!”  
Jenna hesitated and he could see a flicker of regret pass over her face before she turned around for good and vanished inside the restaurant. 

Peter needed a moment to gather his thoughts. He hadn't meant for any of this to happen and now Jenna was angry – and she had every right to be. Elaine would be furious as well as soon as she read the news tomorrow and that was not how he had wanted her to find out. Damn, if he only he hadn't been such a coward for so long. None of this would have happened if he had just had the courage to tell her earlier. And who knew what damage this mess might do to Jenna's career? What if she blamed him for ruining her life? What if she left him because of that? What if she was ready to leave him already? No, that couldn't happen. That couldn't possibly happen.  
Peter followed her into the restaurant moments later and was greeted by the sight of a very confused looking Steven.  
“Peter, what the hell is going on? Jenna just stormed out of here without saying a word!”  
Peter looked past him and realized that Steven was right. Jenna's coat wasn't on the rack and she was nowhere to be seen. He had to go after her. They had to talk.  
“I've got to go,” he replied hurriedly, but once he saw the worried look on his friend's face Peter stopped once more. “I'm sorry.”  
And with that he stormed out of the restaurant and followed after Jenna.

* * *

Jenna let herself into his flat with the key Peter had given her and immediately started gathering up all of her things, not even taking off her coat before she started packing. She needed to leave. As soon as Elaine read the news she would not hesitate to go to Cardiff and Jenna couldn't be here when that happened. That was probably the only thing that could still make the situation worse.  
Peter came home a few minutes later, panting and completely out of breath as he stopped in the doorway to the bedroom.  
“You're packing,” he realized, a look of shock and horror on his face.  
Jenna looked at him for a moment and then decided to focus on the task at hand instead. She threw the last jumper on top of the pile in her suitcase. “Yes, I am. I'm leaving.”  
“Please, Jenna, don't leave me again,” he pleaded quietly as he stepped closer, “I love you!”  
She frowned at him in reply and upon seeing the fear in his eyes Jenna suddenly realized just what he must be thinking. She sighed and reached out to nudge him in the side. “I'm not leaving _you_ , you idiot. I'm leaving Cardiff.”  
“Oh God, this is a mess,” Peter breathed in relief and sank down on the bed next to her suitcase. He buried his face in hands and for a moment Jenna thought he would start crying. Quietly she pushed the suitcase aside and sat down next to him.  
“Tomorrow morning, once the news are out, all hell will break loose and I can't be here when that happens. That would only make it worse,” she reasoned, “I'm sorry, but. . . I'm afraid this we will have to deal with on our own.”  
“I am so, so sorry, Jenna,” Peter whispered, “You have every right to be mad at me right now. It's my fault.”  
Jenna had been furious in the beginning, but her anger had subsided a little on her way to his flat. It wasn't Peter's fault, not entirely. She was just as much to blame as he was. They were both adults, they had both agreed to do the wrong thing and start a relationship while Peter was still married and in the back of her head Jenna had always known it would end badly at some point.  
“It's your fault as well as mine,” she admitted after a moment, “I knew what I was getting into and it wasn't nice to shout at you like that earlier. You have a lot more to lose in this than I have.”

Suddenly Peter moved next to her and drew his phone out of his pocket. Jenna watched him type something, but he never said a word until the phone had vanished back into his trouser pocket.  
“I texted Elaine. Told her I'm coming home tomorrow,” he said dryly, “It's about time.”  
“Overdue, actually,” Jenna agreed, “I'll keep the guest bedroom ready and-”  
“No,” Peter interrupted her, “From now on we're gonna do this the right way. I'm gonna stay at a hotel or come back here. We shouldn't see each other until the worst is over.”  
“Yeah,” she nodded eventually once she had realized that Peter was right, even though it might take a while and she would miss him terribly, “I think that's a good idea.”  
With a sigh she leaned against his shoulder and Peter immediately closed his arm around her, pulling her closer. Jenna breathed in deeply and folded her arms around his chest, enjoying every second of it because she had no idea how long they would have to be apart.  
“I love you, too,” she whispered against his shirt, “Remember that.”  
His lips left a soft kiss on her forehead. “I would forget my own name before I forget that.”


	34. The Final Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your patience and your lovely comments and the lovely messages some of you sent me on Tumblr! I must admit I hesitated a long time to post RPF but your responses are just so, so amazing! Thank you!

Peter had left Cardiff at 5 am just to have a shot at reaching Elaine before she glanced at a newspaper. He was fully aware his wife would read them sooner or later, but he hoped that at least they could talk before that happened, that he could prepare her, that she wouldn't just wake up to find a picture of her cheating husband on the front page.  
All of that could have been avoided and he knew it, if he just hadn't been such a coward for so long. Elaine didn't deserve any of this. But it was too late for regrets now. The damage was already done.  
His mind trailed off to Jenna again and he hoped that she would have a safe drive back as well, that she would be able to leave his apartment without any more press bothering her. Peter had told her to call him if she was in trouble and to send a message as soon as she had arrived at her own house. Even if he wouldn't have the time to respond, he at least wanted to know that she was alright. 

When he drove into London Peter glanced at the fuel gauge and realized that he should probably stop at a petrol station until he remembered that they sold newspapers there and that his face would be in there somewhere. People would have seen it by now and he wasn't brave enough to face them. Maybe together with Jenna he wouldn't have cared, but on his own he simply wasn't brave enough.  
Eventually he made it home on an almost empty fuel tank and stepped out of the car, his knees feeling a little weak and wobbly as he walked up to the house. This house would no longer be his home after the conversation that lay ahead of him and the though of it made his heart feel heavy. After so many years he would just throw it all away. After taking a deep breath Peter finally stepped inside.

“Elaine?” he called into the house, but there was no response.  
Carefully Peter stepped further into the living room where he finally found Elaine sitting on a chair, staring at him. And she was clutching a newspaper in her hands. He was too late.  
“Tell me these are old pictures,” she said calmly, “Tell me these were taken when you slept with her after I've told you it would be okay if you did.”  
Peter exhaled sharply. Oh, he wished he could tell her that.  
“For fuck's sake, tell me!” Elaine shouted at him and slammed the newspaper down on the table while she rose to her feet. Peter flinched at the sound.  
“I can't,” his voice was barely a whisper, “I'm sorry. I really am.”  
His wife glared at him for a long moment and she looked so angry he thought she was about to burst. Peter was gathering all of his courage to tell her but as he looked into Elaine's angry face he also saw the sadness and disappointment hidden in her eyes. He was about to break her heart.  
“Was it not enough for you? Do you even realize how rare it is that a wife would allow her husband to step out even _once_?” she asked him, her voice still raised, “I've given you two chances, but no, that wasn't enough, was it? You had to make it three! Or was it four? Five?”  
“Elaine-” Peter tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't listen.  
“Six? Give me a number here so I know for how many weeks I'll have to let you sleep on the sofa!”  
“Elaine!” he had run out of options to make her listen, so Peter had to resort to shouting as well. Then his voice dropped to a whisper. “I'm in love with her.”

His words hung in the air for a long moment while Elaine remained silent and stared at him, the disbelief so plain in her eyes. As soon as his words had sunk in Peter could see how hurt she was. If only he could take that pain away, if only he could make it easy for all of them – but he couldn't.  
Then suddenly Elaine snorted. “That is so typical of you, you know that?” she spat and Peter had no idea what was going on anymore. “I should have known, really. I should have known you aren't the type for a casual fling. Of course you'd fall in love because that's who you are. This is my fault for suggesting it in the first place.”  
“It's not,” he interrupted her.  
Elaine put her arms akimbo and stared at him, exhaling sharply. For the longest moment she said nothing at all.  
“We can fix this,” she breathed eventually, “Somehow. You'll get over her. I'll find a way to forgive you. Somehow we will put this right.”  
Peter simply shook his head.  
“What is that for? Peter, why are you shaking your head?!” Elaine's voice sounded angry as she spoke, but Peter could also hear that hint of fear as if she knew what he was about to say.  
He sank down on the sofa and buried his face in his hands. Even now he was scared to say it, scared to end it. 25 years of marriage. Peter couldn't help it. The tears just came.  
“I'm leaving,” he said and he couldn't even look at Elaine while he said these words, “To be with Jenna.”  
For a while nothing happened, nothing at all. Peter wasn't even sure if Elaine was still there or if maybe she had left, but then he felt the sofa sink next to him as she sat down.  
“Oh boy,” she whispered. And that was all she said for a couple of minutes and even Peter didn't feel like interrupting the silence.

* * *

When she still hadn't heard of Peter in the late afternoon Jenna was beginning to feel thoroughly worried. What if Elaine was giving Peter a really hard time? What if they were fighting terribly right now? What if she had changed his mind and he wouldn't leave her after all? Jenna didn't think she could take that, not after what they had been through together. Then finally, at 6 pm, her phone rang.  
“Peter, are you okay?” she almost yelled into the phone.  
“Yeah,” he breathed, “I'm fine. . .ish. Kinda stranded.”  
“Stranded?”  
Jenna heard him take a deep breath. “I forgot to stop at a petrol station. I'm outside of London. Stranded,” he admitted in defeat.  
“Oh,” she uttered, “Well, call RAC.”  
“Already did. Waiting for them now,” he explained.  
Peter fell silent for a moment and Jenna could tell that he was exhausted, that whatever had happened between him and Elaine hadn't been easy on him.  
“How did it go with Elaine?” she asked carefully.  
Again there was a long pause before he sighed. “Not good,” he replied, “Elaine was upset, as is her right, I was upset. There was some yelling, crying, more yelling, but we talked. We. . . it's gonna take a while until everything is settled. We haven't even agreed on how we're going to tell Cissy. I'm just on my way back to Cardiff, put some distance between myself and all of this.”  
“I get that,” Jenna said calmly, “But you're alright, yeah? You're not regretting it?”  
“No,” Peter said with a little more determination in his voice, “No, it had to be done. But that doesn't make it easier. Forgive me if I might not call you the next few days. I just need a bit of time to sort this all out in my head.”  
“That's fine. Just send a text so I know you arrived safely in Cardiff.”  
“I will,” Peter confirmed, “I love you, Jenna.”  
“I love you, too, Peter,” she whispered.

When he had hung up Jenna placed the phone aside and took a deep breath. It was going to be fine. Eventually.


	35. For The Rest Of Our Lives

The bed was warm and comfortable and Peter's scent was all over it, surrounding her in her sleep and giving her the sweetest dreams. Jenna had dreamed about being in a house by the sea, on vacation with Peter. Maybe one day they would be able to do that together. Still half asleep she made a mental note to ask him later.  
Jenna turned around and outstretched her arm, surprised to find the other half of the bed empty. Strange. That was usually where he was.  
“Peter?” she mumbled sleepily, still not awake enough to actually open her eyes.  
“There's someone parked in front of our house. I think he's got a camera,” his voice came from the other end of the room.  
Finally Jenna opened her eyes and raised her head, finding Peter standing at the window, half hidden behind the curtains. She plopped back onto the bed with a groan.  
“Peter, come back to bed. There was no one out there yesterday and there is no one out there today. Just relax,” she growled.  
“He's been parking in front of the house for at least twenty minutes.”  
Again Jenna raised her head. “Is that how long you've been standing there?”  
Peter turned around, granting her an apologetic smile. “Possibly.”  
Without saying another word she patted the empty side of the bed and reluctantly Peter stepped away from the window and walked across the room to join her again. Jenna reached out to take his hand.  
“It's been five months since your divorce was finalized. At some point the press _will_ take a picture of us together and it's not going to be the end of the world. They know it already, they've known since that night at the restaurant and they've calmed down about it. I admit, what they wrote in the beginning was nasty, but I haven't seen anything about us in the papers for a long time now. We're not Hollywood stars. They've got other people to trash in their articles.”  
With a sigh Peter sank down on the bed and crawled under the duvet. “I know,” he said after a moment, “But I'm not keen on stirring things up. I'm glad things with Elaine and Cissy are. . . alright at the moment. I don't want them to see pictures of us. Not just yet.”  
Jenna tightened her grip around his hand. “I get that you don't want to hurt them further, but we can't keep hiding for the rest of our lives. I don't want to hide _my ring_ for the rest of my life.”  
Peter chuckled as he pulled their hands out from under the covers and placed a kiss on her knuckles.  
“Don't laugh,” she warned him, “It's a pretty ring. The stone makes it very special.”  
“Yeah, and the jeweller thought I was very weird when I requested TARDIS blue,” he snorted in reply.  
“Well, once a geek, always a geek,” Jenna leaned forward and pecked him on the lips, “And now _my_ geek. Breakfast?”  
“Breakfast,” Peter confirmed.

When Jenna stepped out of the shower she was already looking forward to a quiet breakfast before they both headed in opposite directions for the week. Peter had to go back to Cardiff and Jenna was due to continue Victoria in York tomorrow morning. She hated spending the weeks without him now that they were engaged.  
However when Jenna walked back into the kitchen she found Peter once again standing at the window, looking outside.  
“There is no one out there,” she told him, laughing at him, “You're being paranoid.”  
“That man is still parked there and it's not paranoia if it's real,” he argued.  
Jenna sank down on one of the seats and reached for her coffee mug. At least he had prepared that before he had continued his obsession of staring out of windows. “I'm starting to think the world doesn't actually care that we live together.”  
“Oh, the world does care,” Peter replied and finally took a seat next to her, “I've received some fan letters.”  
“Mean ones?”  
An odd expression crossed over Peter's face. “No, nice ones. You know what they call us?”  
Jenna frowned at him. “What?”  
“Colepaldi,” Peter replied, chuckling, “They merged our names together for some insane reason. It was in some of the letters and I had to ask Pearl what it meant. She looked it up online. She found more but she wouldn't tell me what it was. I don't think I wanna know.”  
“Yeah,” Jenna smiled at him, “I don't think I wanna know either. But the letters were nice, yeah? I know you were afraid of what this might do to your image as Doctor Who.”  
“They congratulated us, so, yeah. I can bring some when I come home next weekend,” Peter suggested.  
“That would be nice,” Jenna said before taking a large sip of coffee.

They left the house together, both not really eager to leave the weekend behind just yet and Peter carried both their suitcases to their cars while Jenna locked the front door.  
“Will you text me when you've arrived?” she asked when she opened the car door.  
“Only if you do the same. And I'll be thinking about that nice house by the sea all week,” he replied.  
Jenna went up on her toes to peck him on the lips, but suddenly Peter held on to her back and pulled her closer, turning the peck into a full blown kiss.  
“I'm gonna miss you,” she admitted when they pulled apart.  
“Same,” Peter sighed and suddenly they were both interrupted by a clicking sound that Jenna was all too familiar with by now.  
She turned around and realized to her dismay that Peter had been right this time. A journalist was sitting in a car parked not too far way from them and taking pictures through the open window.  
“Do you want me to talk to him? We paid off the last one,” Jenna suggested.  
Peter sighed once more before he shook his head. “No, it's fine,” he said, “You were right. We can't hide forever.”  
“Sorry,” she mumbled sheepishly.  
But to her surprise Peter smiled at her. “No need. Have a safe drive.”

And with that Peter grabbed his suitcase and walked into the direction of his car, right past the photographer. “Yeah, that's right,” she heard him say, “We're living together. Pass it on if you must.”  
Jenna smiled when she stepped into her own car, waving at Peter one more time before she drove off. Maybe in a month or two she would finally be able to wear her ring in public, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say that the response to this fic surprised me more than just a little. It took me a while to come out with this fic because - and I'm sure you're all aware of that - RPF is still frowned upon by so many and I'm not the type to stirr up an argument about anything remotely fandom related just for the sake of having an argument. But, as Colepaldi-in-the-Tardis and colepaldigirl have shown, there are actually a lot of readers who enjoy Colepaldi and so I just decided to do it. I hadn't though that this fic would become number 4 on my "Top 5 by hits" and the fact that it did is just amazing! Thank you so, so, so much for reading this story, for clicking the kudos button, for taking the time to write a comment - seriously, thank you!!! You guys are amazing! 
> 
> I'm actually kind of sad to finish this story, which is probably part of the reason why I've taken my sweet time with the last few chapters (and also because I've been busy and wanted to deliver an ending you would love). It will probably not be my last Colepaldi fic, in fact, I've had an idea for a longer oneshot that I will probably start working on soon-ish. And who knows? Maybe there'll be another longfic some day. Anyway, thank you all for reading :) *big group hug*


End file.
